I Need You, Sonny
by CDCTheRandomWizard23
Summary: Fires, a coma, a kidnapper, broken friendships, & traitors..Sonny returns so it all spins out of control with surprising twists and tragic accidents in this tale of mystery.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: What's up, Randoms! :D Please review after you read. Even though there's gonna be a lot more chapters after this and you think that you maybe shouldn't review this old chapter, please send me a review! Just let me know that you're out there :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC..**

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><p>Chad's POV:<p>

I was walking through the hallways of Condor Studios with my hands in my pockets and I was looking at the floor. It's been a year since Sonny left So Random. We've never gotten to see or talk to each other, and it's ruining my life. Mackenzie Falls dropped from being the number one show to not even existing anymore. The Falls cast is really mad at me because they're convinced that it's my fault. It mostly was my fault, but maybe if they were a bit more supportive of me, I would have been able to get through filming with messing up. The truth is, I can't walk through Condor Studios without thoughts of Sonny in my mind. It's all my fault that we broke up and that she left without another word.

It's also my fault the she left So Random and brought that show to its ultimate end. The Randoms hate me even more and they never talk to each other any longer. That was because their show's ratings dropped too, after Sonny disappeared to who knows where, leaving So Random to fall apart. Sonny seemed to have kept the studio balanced and now that she's not here, everything isn't being held together. In fact, the Prop House and the Randoms' dressing rooms are abandoned. No one hangs out there anymore. The props are still in the Prop House and everything's in the dressing rooms, but no one bothered to take anything with them after the show crumbled.

I turned at the corner of the hallway which led to the Randoms' dressing rooms. I glanced up at the walls right outside those rooms and saw their pictures on the wallpaper. They're different now from when they were first put up. My cast had pulled a prank and spray-painted a bunch of things on their pictures' faces such as moustaches, beards, and glasses. I half smirked at that memory I had with the Randoms and stepped into Sonny's dressing room that she used to share with Tawni.

I stood at the doorway and took a look around. I was slightly shocked at the condition of the room. The couches were torn up and clumps of its stuffing littered the carpet all around. Tawni's mirror on her makeup table was shattered, leaving jagged shards on her side of the room. There was a baseball bat on the ground under the crooked table, and next to it was a small piece of paper with Tawni's handwriting. I carefully picked it up, avoiding the pieces of glass and read it quietly to myself.

It said, "I never liked to admit it before, but I need you, Sonny. You were the inspiration for the sketches. You taught me that focusing on beauty was vain. Without you, my career had collapsed."

I looked up from the note and gazed around the dressing room again. Treading slowly, I made my way to Sonny's side of the room. Most of Sonny's outfits were torn to shreds and blanketed the floor. Her bracelets and necklaces also layered the carpet. I bent over and picked up a handful of the stuff on the floor. I remembered when she wore each and every one of these outfits on the floor. She would strut over to my set and have one of those "Good, good, fine, fine" fights with me everyday. I couldn't stop myself from making a small smile while thinking about those times.

I scanned the messy floor and noticed my favorite dress that she wore. I paced over to it and knelt down, gently picking it up. It was the gorgeous dress that my Sonshine had worn during out first date. The dress was one of the outfits that was completely unharmed and not shredded on the floor. Sonny had looked graceful in that attractive dress. I smiled dearly as I held it close to me, caressing it. I ran my fingers gently over the material. When I smelled it, the dress had the faint scent of her fragrance.

Holding the dress delicately, I stepped out of the jumbled dressing room that Tawni wrecked and continued down the halls. I got to the Prop House and hesitantly entered. The place looked way neater than the dressing room since it wasn't damaged at all. Every prop was in place. The Prop House felt so cold while it was missing the presence of the people who used to call it home. I took a seat on the green couch in the middle of the room.

There were bunches of old scripts stacked on the small table in front of the couch so I picked them up and started to flip through them. All of the papers looked the same except for the one on the very bottom of the stack. It looked like some sheet music for a song with notes, chords, and lyrics.

I read the title out loud. "Tell Me What to Do by Sonny Munroe". In an instant, my attention focused on reading through the lyrics. I read through it quickly and realized that Sonny was writing about me. I knew how to read the notes on the sheet of music so I began to sing the song out loud.

"Tell me what to do, ooh, about you. Is there any way, anything I can say that won't break us in two?" I sang.

" 'Cause it's been a long time coming, I can't stop loving you, Chad," said a voice at the doorway.

I looked up from the page and saw her. My one and only Sonny. Grinning that smile that she used to do so long ago.

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you all think? It's sort of like my other oneshot called, "Why Did I Let Her Go?" I would love it if you tell me what you think. :) Also, I want to say, to everyone out there in SWAC fanfiction, keep writing more to keep Sonny with a Chance alive! :) That is all, peace out suckas! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: What's up, Randoms! I'm back and I made a second chapter after so many of you reviewed and said that you wanted more. Well, here you go. :) Why don't I give shout outs to you all? Thanks to: Slinky Flower the Lovatic, TheSarahStar, LoveShipper, Hahahahah, FarhannaLuvChanny'n'Tswift, swac twilight14, and kitkat299. It's because of you all that I made this next chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC :P**

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><p>Chad's POV:<p>

My breath stopped and I instinctively got up from the couch, never taking my eyes off of her. For a couple of split seconds my eyes studied her face, her features beaming with a glimmer of optimism in her grin. Then right away, she bounded up and clung to me with all her might so I wrapped my firm arms around her. I embraced her fragile body as she lay her head in my chest and held fast to me like I was all she had to hold on to for protection.

"You're back," I breathed at last into her long brown hair that had grown longer since the last time I saw her. "I thought you'd never return, Sonny."

"Oh Chad, I tried. But I needed to see you again after so long," Sonny sighed tenderly, still nestling her head in my chest.

After a few more seconds, the grip of our hug lessened. My hand tilted her chin upward so that both of our eyes were gazing directly at each others'.

"Do you know how much I've missed you? How much the others have missed you?" I asked as my eyes held the sorrow that had been buried deeply for an eternity.

She looked at me with tears beginning to cover her deep brown eyes.

"Of course I did Chad," she whispered. "It was the hardest decision I had to make."

I sighed. "Much has changed since you've been gone, Sonny. Mackenzie Falls and So Random are ancient history. The Randoms don't keep in touch with each other anymore. The life and happiness we used to have, it's all gone."

Sonny sorrowfully sat down on the couch and I did the same.

"Without you around, we all felt like something was missing. The Randoms were feeling down for ages that they lacked inspiration. Even my cast felt like there was something that needed to belong in this studio to make everything fit together," I spoke softly but loud enough to be understood. "You were the one who used to hold it all together. Do you remember it at all?"

"How could I forget?" Sonny said bitterly like she was trying to dismiss hurtful memories from her mind. "I always ended up drifting towards all that used to be." She sighed and looked down at her hands resting on her lap.

"Sonny," the sound of her name coming from my lips sounded so pleasant. At the sound of her name, she lifted her face and looked at mine. "Please," I breathed slowly. "Tell me why you just left us all behind," I said longingly at her teary eyes.

"I...I...," she stuttered and I waited for her answer. Our breathing became harder as the air gradually got thicker. I suddenly found it difficult to breathe, and all of a sudden the blare of the studio's old fire alarm thundered throughout the building.

Sonny and I gasped simultaneously as we both stood up. She grabbed my hand right away.

"Chad," she whimpered.

Smoke began to congest the room as it crept through the open doorway of the Prop House, dragging fluctuating flames along with it. I pulled Sonny's hand as we quickly made our way towards the only exit from the room before the fire rushed in and infected the Prop House. We couldn't see as we coughed through the smoke-filled hallways, running frantically while we tried to find the exit to the entire building.

"Hold on, Sonny!" I cried.

The burning soot was blinding as we charged hastily through the blazing halls. We suddenly failed to keep our grip on each other's hands as we lost our footing and mistakenly fell furiously down the deep staircase. I heard an ear-splitting crash ahead of me followed by another one as I felt a sting of pain shoot through my knee.

I choked through the smoldering air. "Sonny!"

There was no reply.

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><p><strong>AN: Gasp! What will happen next? Please review and put this story on Story Alert...<strong>

**- CDCTheRandomWizard23**


	3. Chapter 3

**Decided to just get right to it...**

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><p>Chad's POV:<p>

"Sonny," I wheezed as I lay on the floor, clutching my pounding knee. I think I broke some bones by the feeling of it. My body felt immobilized on the hard floor.

She didn't answer. "Sonny, please be okay…" I was seriously worried.

It was hard to see at all through the thick smoke in the building and it really hurt to breathe. The fire alarm blared from the ceiling and echoed around the staircase. A small flicker of flames reached my arms and I yelled in fear. I nervously fought to put them out by rolling, but it seemed to be growing. It was climbing up my long-sleeved shirt.

Just then, I heard a sharp crash as a window was shattered and small pieces of glass flew everywhere. A fireman's voice boomed from the wall.

"We've got two people here at the south staircase!" he yelled.

My faint eyesight saw him rush and bend over a few feet away from me, picking Sonny up in his arms.

"Sonny!" I shouted hoarsely.

Another huge fireman came over to me and picked me up. The scalding heat made me soaking wet with sweat as he rescued me from the burning building while ashes stung my eyes.

I was gasping when we finally reached the open night air away from the burning building. I heard sirens blasting from the fire trucks and ambulances mixing with the shouting from the firemen battling the flames.

I was brought to an ambulance and the fire on my arm was put out. A bunch of paramedics treated my arm temporarily with some liquid and laid me on a gurney with a plastic mask over my mouth. As I was being loaded into the back of the ambulance, I felt a sudden panic arising in my chest.

I wonder what's happening with Sonny. I hope that she's alright…I need to be with her…I need her next to me…

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><p>Zora's POV:<p>

I sat alone at the couch in my bedroom flipping through the channels on TV every five minutes. My parents were on vacation and so I had the house to myself for two weeks. You'd think that leaving a seventeen year old alone without her parents would be the best thing ever, but now I'm so bored with nothing to do. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nine-thirty p.m.

I've been feeling pretty down lately. Being alone left me time to think, and my eyes wandered around the wall by my bed. My gaze was fixed on an old photo of me posing with the people who used to be my friends, the Randoms plus Chad. Right in the middle of the picture was Sonny hugging me while we all smiled our brightest smiles. I frowned, realizing that I didn't want to think about those times anymore.

I tore the photo off of the wall and threw it across the room. I can't believe Sonny left. She was the closest friend I ever had. The other Randoms weren't as close to me as she was.

Sonny was my big sister. She always genuinely cared for me and comforted me. I also did the same for her when she and Chad broke up. I sighed, remembering those memories a few years ago…

_Flashback…_

_I was in the vent in the dressing room when Sonny sauntered in while crying._

_Tawni looked away from her vanity mirror for a few seconds. "Sonny, still can't get over Chad?"_

"_No," Sonny sobbed. "And I just wish you were a bit more supportive right now."_

_Tawni scoffed and stood up. "I'm just going to do my makeup somewhere else where I don't have to listen to you whining all day."_

_When Tawni left, Sonny continued her sobbing as she sat on her couch. I can't believe Tawni could be so heartless. I came out of the vents through my secret exit (I won't tell you where it is) and quietly tapped Sonny's shivering shoulder._

"_Sonny," I said quietly._

_She lifted her face from her hands and sniffled._

"_Hey, Zora," she said softly, her voice cracking._

"_Umm, do you want a hug?" I offered, stretching my arms wide._

_Sonny gave a small smile. "I would like that."_

_We hugged for a little while and I sat down next to her. I offered her a box of tissues and she took one gratefully. After a couple of minutes, she stopped sniffling. I wasn't sure what to say. The situation was awkward and I've never tried to comfort someone after a breakup before. I'm only twelve! _

"_I'm glad that you're my friend, Zora," Sonny said with the faintest smile. "You're like a little sister to me."_

"_I'm glad that we're friends too," I smiled back."Best friends never leave your side."_

_Sonny nodded and then sighed, looking down._

"_Are you and Chad still going to be friends?" I asked._

"_I…I just don't know anymore," Sonny said quietly. "I feel like I need to get away for a while…"_

_End of Flashback…_

Those memories kind of hurt to think about, and it's exactly what I don't want to have on my mind right now. I took the remote control off my bed and started flipping through channels. Sports? Nah…A horror film? Too scary for when I'm alone…Mackenzie Falls? Eww, what's this show still doing on TV?...Let's see, news? Ah, there's the weather report.

"We've got wind and cloudy skies this week, folks, so don't forget to wear your sweaters. And that concludes our weather report," the newscaster said.

"Bo-ring," I mumbled and was about to change the channel when…

"BREAKING NEWS: A raging fire has taken over Condor Studios in L.A. early this evening and is still to be put out. Sources say that there were a few people in the buildings when it started including Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe who has not been seen over the past few years. Those two were taken to a nearby hospital and no further details have been received concerning their conditions. The cause of the fire has not been determined yet, but there is reason to believe that it was a case of arson…"

The remote fell out of my hand in shock as I turned pale before the TV screen.

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><p><strong>Gasp! Please review and put this on Story Alert... I love all you reviewers out there, so send one in and maybe I'll write faster. :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: CDC here, and I've got the next chapter :D**

**I've just completed a full marathon of watching every single SWAC episode in order and it took me about a week...so I challenge you all to do the same :)**

**Here's a shoutout to my reviewers from the last chapter: Slinky Flower the Lovatic, Creativity Is Wonder, and CiaLovesChannyForeverLovatic :) You guys rock!**

**Another shoutout: check out MrB.o.B1990 's stories and review :)**

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><p>Chad's POV:<p>

I slowly opened my eyes. Through my blurry vision, I saw that I was lying down in a hospital room. The room was lit with dull white light bulbs that flickered constantly while the walls were covered in a thin layer of old, peeling paint in the color of a faded gray. This felt nothing like my home.

My eyes glanced at the clock near the door and saw that it was almost ten o'clock. It felt so uncomfortable in the bed I was lying in. I tried to turn myself when I felt a stinging pain on my arms and my right knee. I winced in pain as I got my body to lie still again. Both of my arms were covered in some bandages with my right arm having the most. The sound of footsteps approached the open doorway and a man in a long white coat strolled in.

"Hello, Mr. Cooper" he said while flipping through his clipboard. "I am Dr. Anderson and I will be your doctor for your time in the hospital."

"Thanks," I said slowly.

"From what I understand, you've got second-degree burns on both of your arms and a broken knee. We have already performed a quick surgery to repair it in the past hour, and right now it'll be in a cast for six to eight weeks. However, your burns will take about three weeks to heal," said Dr. Anderson as he fingered through his tousled gray hair.

I sighed, and my mind jumped back to thinking about Sonny.

"Do you know what happened to my friend Sonny? Is she okay?" I blurted anxiously. My eyes stared at the doctor's thick glasses, waiting for his reply.

"Miss Munroe is in a critical condition," he started hesitantly.

My body tensed at those words and my heart beat got heavier. The doctor continued speaking.

"She suffered serious head trauma and is currently in the state of a coma…"

My mind just froze when I heard those last words that he said. The doctor kept speaking but I couldn't pay attention to what he was saying… It was too much of a shock.

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><p>Zora's POV:<p>

I was pacing frantically back and forth in my bedroom. My stomach was churning too and I felt like I was going to be sick. The TV reporter started to announce some more news to add to the previous report.

"I have just received some additional information about the two celebrities' conditions," the reporter stated. "Chad Dylan Cooper has a fractured knee and second-degree burns on his arms. Sonny Munroe is in a coma after suffering severe head trauma when she fell from the top of a deep staircase during the fire. The two were sent to a nearby hospital in L.A."

"How could this happen?" I mumbled. "How could this happen like this?"

My mind was aching with anxiety over the situation. I didn't know what to do.

"I need to go visit them right away," I said to myself.

That was going to be a problem since I lived about an hour away from L.A. now. I guess I have to take a drive tonight. Suddenly another thought rushed into my mind. How about the other Randoms? Do they know what's happened?

I sighed. They probably don't care anymore. They haven't cared for way too long. I don't even have their cell phone numbers. I sat down, exhausted from all the pacing. A sudden thought came back to me.

"But I do know where Tawni lives now 'cause I remember that her house is just a few minutes away from mine," I spoke to myself again.

I quickly rushed out of my house, grabbing my car keys. I headed towards Tawni's house nervously. We haven't seen each other in too long.

Once I got there, I ran up the steps to Tawni's front porch and paused in front of her door shivering slightly as the night air chilled my worried body. I wondered if Tawni would let me talk to her. We haven't spoken for a while now and the last time we saw each other, I was angry with her and she was furious at me.

I hesitated before raising my hand to knock on her door. The sky overhead was full of dark clouds, and I took a quick breath in and out waiting for an answer from Tawni. She was once a friend of Sonny long ago, and she really needs to know about what just happened to Sonny. The door creaked open after a minute and Tawni stood there, looking surprised when she saw me.

"Zora, long time no see," she said with slight tension in her voice as she looked me up and down. "What are you doing at my house this late at night?" Then, Tawni yawned in annoyance, covering her mouth.

"Tawni, I need to talk to you about Sonny," I said as the rain started to pour down from the sky.

"There's nothing to talk about," Tawni said bitterly.

"Tawni, please," I begged while my hair started to get soaked.

She thought for a couple of seconds as I stared up at her hard, green eyes. Then she decided to let me in, and we stood in the living room.

"What do you have to say about Sonny?" asked Tawni.

"First of all, it's almost impossible to believe, but she's back. She showed up in the Prop House and talked to Chad," I said.

Tawni gasped and then she had a scowl on her face.

"How dare she!" Tawni yelled. "After all these years of abandoning us, she decides to come back now when it's too late to apologise!"

I got taken aback by Tawni's reaction and started to get angry.

"Apologize for what?" I said rather loudly as my voice started to rise. "You're the one who needs to do some apologizing!"

Tawni got startled by my response.

"What are you talking about?" she said.

"You didn't even try to support Sonny when she was counting on you to help her. She was feeling down when she broke up with Chad and you were too selfish and caught up in your own life to comfort her!" I yelled.

Tawni looked shocked but was speechless, so I continued my rant.

"Sonny was a much better friend to me than you ever were!" I said as tears began to cover my eyes. "And right now, you can't apologize to her even if you wanted to because...Because she's in a coma," I sniffled.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tawni.

"There was a fire in the studio. Chad and Sonny got injured and now they're both at the hospital which I'm planning to visit right now," I said.

"Well, I'm not coming," said Tawni.

"Well, I am, and maybe if you had even the smallest hint of a heart, then you'd think to join me," I said as I turned and walked out of the house, leaving Tawni to think for herself.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading this and please review :D Even if you've never ever ever reviewed this story before, please do. Just let me know you're out there! :)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So, how's it goin'?...I am so sorry with the long wait. I won't take this long to update with the next chapter. :)**

**Shoutouts go to m'reviewers from last chapter: Slinky Flower the Lovatic, Creativity Is Wonder, CiaLovesChannyForeverLovatic, VeVe2491, and RachelisGreek. You guys make me want to update sooner, so I am thankful for y'all!  
><strong>

**Ooh, and the one year anniversary of Skyscraper was just a few days ago which is AWESOME :D  
><strong>

**Also, Demi reached over 8 million followers on Twitter! If you haven't followed her on twitter yet, please do! :)  
><strong>

**I don't own SWAC. Please review after ya read!**

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><p>Tawni's POV:<p>

I slammed the front door right when Zora stormed off. Then, I stomped over to my living room couch and plopped down in a fit of exhaustion and anger. I was shocked that Sonny decided to come crawling back right when everything was over. When it was too late. We lost our jobs, our friendships, and our happiness. Was she expecting everyone to celebrate when she arrived? If she did, oh, then she was dead wrong.

Didn't she realize that she ruined everything? And I do truly mean everything. You can't just up and leave without telling anyone where on earth you're going and expect everyone else to be okay with it. Well, a small part of my mind tells me that she had a really good reason to do it, but I don't know if I could believe that. If she ever decided to talk to me again, then she has a lot of explaining to do.

A gasp escaped my lips. It almost slipped my mind that she was in a coma now. How could she possibly do any explaining while she was frozen in that state? A wicked little part of me was satisfied that she was like that right now, but I tried to shove it off of my mind. I drifted to different thoughts.

_What if Zora had a point? What if I was wrong here?_ I frowned at these thoughts echoing again and again. I might have been part of the reason why Sonny left. Who knows why she did anyway? Hmpf. I quickly threw that train of thought away from my brain and started to walk upstairs to my bedroom.

As I sat in bed, I decided that I just needed some peace and rest to sort all of this out. I didn't want anyone calling me so I turned off my cell phone and even my home phone. I yawned as I looked up at the wall clock which told me that it was about 10 p.m. I sighed and realized one more thing…I had a lot of explaining to do to Sonny too. I turned my bedside lamp off and began to drift off. Maybe it'll all be better in the morning…

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><p>Zora's POV:<p>

After I raced out of Tawni's house in an absolute fury, I slouched into my car and started the engine. In a few seconds, I realized that my clothes were partially soaked from the rain. I didn't mind though, 'cause all I wanted to do at the moment was to get out of Tawni's driveway. My eyes were still covered in a fog of tears while I clumsily grabbed my dad's old GPS and punched in my destination. Then, I was on my way towards the hospital to visit Sonny.

My breathing got more relaxed as I drove on with the dark freeway ahead of me. The windshield wipers steadily brushed the raindrops out of the way as I listened to the rhythmic taps of water droplets pounding all around me. After I was driving for about an hour, it suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea where I was on the freeway. Through the foggy window, I peered around for a sign of familiarity. I didn't find any. I looked at my GPS and after a careful stare, my eyes widened in shock.

"No!" I yelled out loud, breaking the long silence. "Are you kidding me?"

The screen showed that I was driving in the exact opposite direction of where I was supposed to go. I probably set it wrong when my mind was cloudy and I was in a rush from arguing with Tawni.

"Aagh! Worthless piece of junk!" I screamed as I opened my car window and hurled the GPS out to be smashed into dozens of pieces.

As I fought to get my breathing rate back to normal, I glanced at the digital clock in the car which read 11:00. I saw an exit sign on the freeway and decided to get the car off of the freeway. Right away, I noticed a little coffee shop nearby and decided to get something to drink.

After I got my steaming coffee and a map with directions, I headed towards where I parked my car. In the dark I still was able to notice a small piece of paper shoved underneath the windshield wipers on the outside of the car.

"I hope it's not a parking ticket," I mumbled to myself.

Just as I was about to reach for the strange note on my car, I heard some shuffling footsteps behind me. I quickly turned around and was taken by surprise as a man dressed in dark clothes raised his arm and some heavy object collided with my head. All became a blur after that…

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><p><strong>AN: Gasp! Please review and put this on Story Alert :) Peace out suckas! Until next time..Mwahahahaha! (lol, I'm not sure where that came from :P )<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: This is kinda a quick update since last time. I don't own SWAC or any of the WOWP references I tend to have once in a while. Today I watched 14 episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place and now my eyes are burning, haha. :) Let's rock and roll! :)**

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><p>Chad's POV:<p>

Being alone here on this really uncomfortable hospital bed left me tons of time to think whether I liked it or not. It's only been a day since the incident and my body's aching to get out of here. Everyone knows that CDC can't do well in small spaces. Yes, I'm claustrophobic. That's why I have stunt doubles to do the work for me whenever a small space is involved. Hm, I wonder how Zora managed to live in the vents all the time at the studios.

Strange little kid. I remember that one time that she made me take her to see hundreds of disgusting, dead giraffes. That thought just makes me shudder. Ugh. There are some things in life that you can never unsee, and that was one of them. It just keeps on coming back to me in nightmares. Who knows what goes on in her twisted little mind? In fact, who knows where any of the Randoms are? Where any of the Falls kids are?

They probably all hate me. It seems as if the whole world has turned against me, and it doesn't feel good at all. Well, all except for Sonny. My Sonny. I feel really nervous for her. Every time I think of her in the slightest bit, my body just feels really sore and I start to sweat like I was running a marathon. I can't imagine myself being in her situation.

She doesn't deserve to be like this. It was my entire fault. I just can't stop putting all of the blame on myself. The guilt is eating up my insides and it's kind of hard to breathe at a normal pace. This is the worst I've felt inside for a long time.

I sighed for the hundredth time. My fingers carefully moved over to the remote control on the bed and flipped the TV on. My thoughts continued to swirl around in my head as I blankly stared at the morning news on the wall's screen.

I know that the Randoms hate me, but I don't think that I hate them back. We actually became close friends while Sonny and I dated. The rivalry between the two casts was just plain nonsense. When I got to know them, they were a closely-knit group of people that looked after each other like family would. I admired their friendship and the bond that they shared which was clearly not present in my own cast.

All this thinking was making it hard for me to rest my weary mind. I needed to take a nap, so I tried to clear my pounding brain. A news report about last night's events was flashing across the TV screen.

"I've just received more information regarding the Condor Studios' fire. Investigators have found evidence pointing to the cause of the fire," stated the news reporter. "The police are still in the process of figuring things out and narrowing down the suspects. Their clues help conclude that the arsonist was a cast member of one of the shows that was filmed at Condor Studios, namely Mackenzie Falls or So Random."

I gasped. This was worse than I imagined it would be. It could either be someone from my cast or one of the Randoms. Who would do something like this?

The news reporter continued. "And that's not all. To add to all the drama relating to Condor Studios, it has been reported that one of So Random's very own cast members, Zora Lancaster, has been a victim of kidnapping."

I gasped once again as I listened intently on the words of the reporter. I was starting to feel lightheaded.

"The kidnapping occurred yesterday close to midnight about two hours north of Los Angeles. It took place in the parking lot of a coffee shop. Witnesses on the scene described the kidnapper as a young man dressed completely in dark clothing wearing a hood over his head. He also had a skateboard with which he struck her violently on the head before he ran off with her inside an old van. We don't have the license plate number yet, but we will be working on finding out more information. If you have any info regarding this kidnapping, please inform the police right away…"

I gulped and felt shock take over my body.

"This is all too much," I whispered sadly.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Please put this on Story Alert and please review after you read. Also, give me some feedback about my chapter lengths. Should I make it longer? Should I keep it the same? Just something like that. :) Peace out suckahs!<strong>**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey there guys! So a lot has happened lately.**

**First of all, I went to Demi's concert! It was so awesome! :D **

**Also, I found out that this story has won first place in TheSarahStar's contest. :D So, thank you all for reviewing and supporting my story. And thank you to those who suggested that this story should be a multi-chapter story. If you guys never did that, then this chapter would'nt exist. :P So to celebrate, I am giving you a much longer chapter than usual. I'm gonna try and make them longer than I did before. Please review after you read. I appreciate each and every one of them. :)**

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><p>Penelope's POV:<p>

I'm sitting in a local coffee shop sipping my latte with Devon, my new boyfriend. We've decided to go out in just the past month so this relationship is still kind of new. But with his arms wrapped around me tightly and my head resting comfortably on his shoulder, I feel like we've made the right choice. Right now, we're dressed casually in some regular clothes instead of those Mackenzie Falls uniforms that we used to always wear.

I've known Devon for such a long time now since we were co-stars on the Falls. The main word in that sentence is "were." Ever since Chad dumped me for that train wreck of an actress, Sonny Munroe, everything was ruined and Mackenzie Falls was kicked out of the studio all because of CDC himself.

"Thanks for bringing me here tonight, Devvvvvon!" I put on my biggest smile and stared directly at his soft brown eyes.

"Aww, anything for you, Penny!" he replied back while winking, and I smirked inside. Poor Devon doesn't realize the real reason that I'm dating him. Ah, if only he knew…

He thinks that we were meant to be, but I don't think so. Ha, I just need some attention and publicity now that I'm lacking in that. Mackenzie Falls used to bring me all of the fame and spots in the magazines, so now I'm becoming a wreck without all that.

Devon's usually oblivious to a lot of things, but at least he's way smarter than the Randoms. He is pretty clever and can really think fast in certain situations. That's the one thing that I actually love about him, his smarts. I like to mess around with him and order him around though.

"Oh Devvvon, could you go buy me another coffee? Pretty please?" I said while batting my eyelashes.

"Sure, sweetie," he replied.

He started to turn in his seat to walk up to the counter when I quickly yanked him back.

"What are you doing?" he quickly snapped.

"Shhh! Look!" I said pointing to the door in front of the counter. "We have unwanted company here."

Devon turned to see what I was pointing at and saw that weird, youngest, used-to-be-Random waltz into the shop and order a coffee. Hmm, I haven't seen her in such a long time and now she looks much older and more mature than she used to be. I bet she hasn't changed _that _much.

"It's that one Random from the vents that always got on my nerves," Devon whispered quite loudly.

"We can't let her see us," I said, covering my face with a napkin. Devon did the same.

"Could I have a small coffee with one sugar and one cream?" Zora ordered from the counter. "And do you have directions to get me to Los Angeles?"

I saw the lady at the counter hand her a map. Hmm, so she's going to LA, huh? Then, she stood at the counter waiting for her drink to arrive. Now's our chance.

"Devon, let's leave before she sees us," I whispered into his ear.

We quickly tiptoed from the table to the exit without making any noise. When we reached the parking lot outside, we started to breathe regularly again.

"That was so close," Devon breathed. "I wouldn't want to know what could have happened if she spotted us. That girl is a flaming ball of fury."

"Yeah, and that reminds me of the exploding ball of sunshine," I huffed. "Let's just get in the car and leave."

We both hopped into the stylish sports car that Devon owned, and he started the car. Sitting in the parked car, we were facing the entrance to the coffee shop out of which Zora was coming from and heading to her own car. I totally didn't expect what happened next.

A suspicious guy that looked quite like a burglar wearing entirely black and hiding his face in a hoodie was kinda creeping around behind the trees…

Okay..that's strange.

What occurred in the next few minutes went by so fast, that it left me and Devon in shock mixed in with confusion.

The mysterious creep just walked up to Zora while her back was turned and I didn't know what to do at that moment. Am I supposed to react somehow? I don't know…Anyways, I was even more horrified when he slammed what looked like a skateboard onto her head and she collapsed as she got knocked out by the blow. I gasped really loudly inside Devon's car.

"Devon! I know she's a Random, but we've gotta do something!"

"What do we do?"

"I don't know!"

We watched as the stranger carried her into his van, and he speedily drove off.

"We should follow them!" Devon said as he rushed to get the car going.

"What? Are you crazy?" I yelled as we began to speed away from the parking lot and go after that van. I'm not sure how this will end up.

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><p>Devon's POV:<p>

So right now I'm driving at nearly 80 mph on the freeway wondering why I ever decided to chase this dude's van. Penelope is squirming around in the passenger's seat yelling at me every five seconds.

Great..

Now I'm starting to get a headache from all of this. We probably should have left and gone the other way, but I really want to know who this kidnapper is.

"Dev! Slow down the car! We're gonna crash!" she said with blazing eyes. "Devvvon! Are you listening to me? I think I'm gonna be sick!"

I sighed, irritated. "Look, Penelope, here. Why don't you just take my cell phone and call the police since you don't have yours?"

"I don't want your stupid cell phone!" she screamed while opening her window and throwing my new phone out onto the road.

"Hey! Why in the world would you do that?"

"Because you're not stopping! Now get off the road! I don't want to follow this guy!" she said while reaching over and grabbing the steering wheel.

"Penelope! Let go!" I yelled while prying her fingers off of the wheel.

"Not until you stop being completely out of your mind!" she screamed. She had her seatbelt unbuckled by now and was practically sitting on my lap, shoving me away from the steering wheel.

"Oh, so you're telling _me_ that I'm out of my mind?" I snapped. "All you're going to do is get us into a car accident! Now, MOVE over! I can't see where we're going!"

After several more minutes of shuffling, I finally got Penelope to get off of me and back in her seat which was relieving. She can be quite a handful sometimes. Just then, I realized that the car was driving in the wrong direction. Uh oh. Penelope seemed to realize it as well.

"Aaaaahhhhhh! Turn the car around!" she screamed right into my ears which were ringing from all the yelling.

A bunch of cars were heading directly towards us, so I had to fix this. And FAST. An approaching car sensed the danger and started to apply the brakes.

Then a bunch of things happened all at once.

There was Penelope's frantic screaming, my arms shooting out in a panic to spin the wheel, and the screeching of that car as it got nearer and nearer.

After that was silence.

Silence and the hard thumping of our heartbeats.

It stayed that way for a minute until we found our voices.

"I can't believe that we escaped that car crash," I stated quietly.

Penelope simply nodded as her breathing started to even out. My car was stopped on the side of the road and so was that other car. I noticed some tears forming in Penelope's eyes as she started to lightly sob. I reached over to her and hugged her gently.

"It's okay now, Penelope. It's gonna be okay," I said comfortingly. I handed her a tissue and she managed to stop crying.

"Thanks," she whispered, wiping her face. "I don't want anyone to see me like this."

I nodded and sat back in my seat.

"It's been a crazy night," I said. "I can't imagine how worse it could possibly get."

Angry knocking on my window startled us both when a figure showed up at my car door.

"What do you think you were doing? You could've wrecked my new car!" yelled the lady outside.

I rolled my window down and all of our mouths instantly dropped open.

"Devon?"

"Chastity?"

…"What? Chastity?"

"Penelope?"

"Chhhastity?"

"Okay…so you two were the ones who were driving the wrong way?" she frowned. "You could have got us all killed!"

Penelope and I got out of the car and stood next to Chastity who had her arms crossed and a hard expression on her face.

"Well, we wouldn't have been going the wrong way if this lunatic hadn't jumped out of her seat and almost destroyed the steering wheel!" I snapped at Penelope.

"What? Why are you blaming me? YOU were the one that decided to follow that van!" raged Penelope.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop!" Chastity yelled while putting her arms in the air, signaling us to quit it. "What are you guys talking about? What van?"

"It's quite a long story," I mumbled.

"I'd like to hear it," said Chastity.

After Penelope explained the whole situation, we all stood in silence with the exception of the cars still rushing past us on the road.

"So," Chastity broke the quietness. "It's a pretty mad coincidence that this is all happening, you know, with you guys spotting Zora getting kidnapped by who knows what crazy person and then all of us meeting here after our lives flashed before our very eyes."

"Yeah, what are the odds?" Penelope said. "None of the Mackenzie Falls and So Random cast members really spoke to each other anymore after that whole uproar with Sonny and Chad and the shows crashing down. Well, except for us two. We've started going out just a while ago, haven't we, Dev?"

"Yes we are," I said hugging Penelope to my side.

"Huh, I wonder if anyone else ever found contact with each other after that whole fall out happened," Penelope puzzled. "Eh, it's probably just us two…or us three now since we've found you, Chastity."

"I wonder if Chad ever spoke to Sonny after she left and after all of this time went by. But who knows where Sonny is now? She could be anywhere for all we know!" I said slightly smiling.

Penelope joined me lightly while Chastity's sounded more like some forced laughter.

"So what exactly brings you here, Chastity?" asked Penelope.

We turned to her and watched as she started to form a reply, but she hesitated for a while and seemed to be thinking of exactly what to say.

"Well, I'm traveling. Since I just left my apartment in LA a little while ago, I'm going to move someplace else. I don't know where yet, but I just need to go out and explore for a bit to find the right place. You know how that is, right? How some people just need to move to a different place after being stuck in the same place for their whole life? Especially one that has tons of bad memories attached to it? Well, that's me, and I'm planning on going someplace really, really far from where we all used to be," came Chastity's rather long answer.

"Wow, Chastity," I said. "I can see why you decided to leave LA. I wouldn't want to stay in the place where all the crazy, bad memories happened."

"That's why I've moved away from LA too even if it's just a couple of hours away," said Penelope. It just so happened that Devon moved kind of close by to where I live now too, so then we found each other one day and started to talk again. We weren't really mad at each other after the whole fight that happened with the two shows, and I don't think that I'm mad at you either. It was just Chad and the Randoms that we were and still are mad at."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm mad at you two either. It's just Chad and the Randoms like you said. Chad must think that the members of the Falls cast hate each other, but it's really just all of us hating Chad and Sonny and the rest of Sonny's cast," Chastity stated.

"It's getting kind of late," I said, looking at my wristwatch. I would've checked the time on my phone if someone hadn't thrown it out the window. "It's almost two in the morning."

"Well, I've got to get going," said Chastity. "I'm gonna be staying at hotels until I finally get to the right place really far away."

"Alright, I've gotta get going too. I was supposed to drop off Penelope at her house like an hour ago, but we ended up meeting you here," I said getting into my car as Penelope also did the same.

"We'd give you our phone numbers, but we don't have our phones with us. Maybe we could just write them down?" Penelope asked Chastity.

"Um, sorry guys, I don't want to have anyone's phone numbers with me. I don't even own a cell phone right now at the moment," said Chastity.

"Oh, okay," I said. "Well, it was great talking to you, Chastity."

"I hope you find the perfect place you have in mind," Penelope said.

"Sorry about almost crashing into you earlier," I added.

Chastity smiled. "It's okay, at least it didn't actually happen. Alright, bye you guys!"

"Bye!" We both said as we drove off leaving Chastity alone standing next to her car.

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><p>Chastity's POV:<p>

I hopped into my car and started the engine. I've got a lot of driving to do after what I did…

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><p><strong>AN: Please review with any of your thoughts, predictions, and ideas. I love hearing from you 'cause you guys motivate me to write. :) <strong>

**Special shout-outs to CiaLovesChannyForeverLovatic and Slinky Flower the Lovatic. I want to thank you two for your constant reviews. :) And also a shout-out to MrB.o.B1990 who just started reading this story. :)  
><strong>

**To all my readers, thank you all so much! You're my inspiration. :) Because of all your support, I'm going to leave you with my name. :)  
><strong>

**With love,  
><strong>

**Cynthia :) Peace out suckahs!  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hi guys! This is important. I found a mistake…In the first chapter, I said that it was just one year after Sonny left. Then, in the later chapters, I made it a longer time difference of many years. So, I'll just stick with Sonny having been gone for many years instead of just one. Sorry for that inconsistency. :P **

**Also, I forgot to say during the last chapter that I'm going to be using the names "Devon and Penelope" instead of their real names which are Skyler and Marta, I think. I just feel like we're more used to the first two and can recognize who's who easier. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC or any of the Paramore/Jonas Brothers references that made its way into this chapter 'cause I was listening while writing. :)**

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><p>Tawni's POV:<p>

I lay in bed groaning after all of the things that Zora told me last night. I barely got any sleep at all and did way too much thinking. The blindingly bright rays of the California sunshine from the window hit me directly on my face so I squinted and sat up. The huge wall clock showed that it was nearly noon. Huh, I must have slept in after that hard thinking that kept me awake for hours and hours.

That's it. I've made up my mind and I'm going to visit Sonny and Chad. I head to the bathroom to freshen up, but I take my time. Getting ready in the morning or in this case at noon, should never be rushed. I give myself adequate time to apply all of my usual make-up and smile at my reflection in the mirror after I decided that my appearance was up to the Tawni standard. Ah yes, the Tawni standard. While Sonny was around, she helped turn my focus away from being caught up in the way that I looked, but then I drifted back to being self-centered after she ditched us.

That's a bit of a disappointment.

I walked out of my house and towards my car which was parked on the driveway. On the way there, I noticed a strange object sitting on my lawn.

"I wonder what that is," I mumbled to myself, striding over to it.

I picked it up in my hands, examining it.

A hat.

More specifically, a fedora.

Who would leave their hat here?

"Is this anyone's?" I said, holding it up and looking around at my neighbor's houses. I didn't get any answers.

I looked over the fedora which was partially wet probably from last night's rain. I noticed that it was an expensive one from looking at the brand on the tag. Well, if no one's gonna claim it, I might as well keep it for now. I brought it with me into my car and drove off towards the hospital. I remembered that it was gonna be a long drive to LA from here, so I put on my sunglasses and turned on the radio.

After countless more songs passed by, I finally got to the exit on the freeway. I rolled my windows down and looked around for the hospital building. The hospital finally came into view and I quickly parked my car. I stepped through the sliding doors and made my way to the desk at the front of the room.

"Hi, I'm Tawni Hart and I'm here to visit Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe," I said to the lady at the desk.

When I got the room numbers, I had to decide which of the two I should go to first. My mind was racing with decisions.

_Maybe I should visit Chad first._

_I won't exactly be able to talk to Sonny at the moment._

_Hm, but I haven't seen Sonny in such a long while._

_But Chad is probably awake right now which means I can talk to him._

_But then I'd have to apologize._

_Ah, this is hard.._

After ten minutes of pacing back and forth, I decided to visit Chad first. He was the only one I could actually talk to after all. As I stood in front of the door to Chad's room, I took in a deep breath. Hopefully, Chad won't be completely mad at me. I hesitantly turned the door knob and walked right in. My eyes rested on the sight of Chad sitting up on a hospital bed with bandaged arms and a cast on his leg.

When he saw me, his mouth dropped open in shock. That's understandable since he hasn't seen me in so long.

"Tawni? I never expected that you of all people would come to visit me," he said with some annoyance in his voice.

"Well," I gulped. "I came to apologize," I said, sitting on a chair next to the bed.

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><p>Chad's POV:<p>

I was sitting up in bed about to lie down to take a nap when the door creaked open revealing none other than Miss Tawni Hart. Right away, a sinking feeling entered my chest. What's she doing here?

"Tawni? I never expected that you of all people would come to visit me," I said cautiously and slowly as I kept my gaze on her piercing eyes. She kept a serious appearance until she finally spoke.

"Well, I came to apologize," she stuttered out, taking a seat next to the bed.

"Look, Tawni, as much courage as you have in coming over here," I started, using my arrogant tone that I used to speak with so often. "…I don't want to hear your apology," I sighed.

"What?" Tawni squeaked, sounding small. "Why can't you just listen to me?"

"Because I don't think you'll be sincere," I stated.

"Chad, please, just let me apologize," Tawni begged.

I was cringing inside trying to decide what to do. I would let Tawni apologize, but I don't think I want to let her have it all easy. How could I trust her after so long? She was the one who used to hate me so much back then when Sonny was around and even way back when Sonny hadn't even joined the show. Should I listen to her? I watched her downcast expression as she waited for me to answer her. I sighed and finally gave in. Chad Dylan Cooper _can_ have a heart.

"Alright, Tawni, I'm listening."

"Chad…I am so, so sorry for all of the harsh things I've said to you. For hating you even though it was wrong. You didn't deserve to be treated that way by me or anyone else. I should have stuck by you and given you my help as a friend instead of being an enemy. I remember hating you so much after all the pain you've caused Sonny after the break-up. I really need to apologize for that. I just want to say that I'm sorry to you and to Sonny also," she said truthfully.

"I'm sorry too, Tawni. I gave you and all the others a really hard time since we've all first known each other. I know I can be way too prideful and selfish, and it eventually ruined everything. It's my fault for the break-up. It's my fault for all of the trouble at the studio and everyone losing their jobs. I'm sorry that I've been a jerk all these years. Can you forgive me, Tawni?" I asked pleading.

"Yes," she said. "But only if you forgive me," she said playfully.

"I'll have to take it into consideration," I said with a little sparkle in my eyes.

Tawni laughed lightly, "Wow Chad, some things might never change with you."

"Ok fine, I forgive you," I said.

"Fine, I forgive you too," Tawni smiled.

"Good!" I said.

"Good," she finished.

Right then, the smile on my face dropped. She noticed this as well.

"Chad, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's just that…" I stopped in the middle of my sentence and looked down sadly. I continued, "That reminded me of Sonny."

I remembered the last time Sonny and I had said those words to each other on the day that she sang at the Patio. It was only a few hours after that last encounter that she left the studios never to return again. Until it was just yesterday when she came back to me at the Prop House.

Tawni gasped. "Chad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"No, it's okay," I said sighing.

"I can't believe what you and Sonny have been through lately," Tawni said. "Have you gotten a chance to visit her yet?"

"Not yet," I answered, and then I remembered something. "Did you hear what happened to Zora? The news said that she got kidnapped last night."

Tawni's face turned pale and she gasped. "By who? I was just talking to her last night before she got kidnapped."

"The police don't know yet. This is all so crazy," I sighed once again.

"I know, when will this end?" Tawni said agitated.

Just then, Dr. Anderson walked into the room holding an envelope.

"Hello, Mr. Cooper," he greeted.

"Hi, Doctor. And this is Tawni," I gestured at her beside me, and they said hello.

"Mr. Cooper, I trust that you've heard about what happened to Zora Lancaster," he started as I nodded. "Well, the investigators were working at the crime scene. They found a note attached to her car, so they put it in an envelope and sent it to you," he said, handing me the envelope.

"I appreciate your help, Dr. Anderson," I replied kindly. He smiled and left the room.

"Let's see it," Tawni said while leaning in closer to me as I carefully opened it. We saw that it was apparently addressed to Sonny.

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><p><em>Dear Sonny,<em>

_I thought you were my friend, but I was wrong. I trusted you completely. You and I used to be best friends and so was the rest of the cast. I can't believe that it's all come to this mess. I used to know you so well. I even liked you as more than a friend, but you didn't return those feelings because Chad came along. You didn't stay long enough to explain why you've decided to abandon us. You've left me asking why for all of these years. Why did you have to leave? Why couldn't you tell us? _

_You know what, forget it. Just forget it. It seems that we don't matter much to you, Sonny. And now, we're trying to forget all about you. I'm trying to erase any thoughts and memories about you. It hurts to remember you, Sonny. You don't know how you've affected all of us. And you probably don't want to know. You hurt me more than you could ever know, and I want to stop calling you by your name because it just stings when I hear it aloud. Everything has changed since you've walked out of our lives. You've turned me into a completely different person, and I hate that it had to happen. It's all your fault. You're the only one to blame._

_I just need to say this to you…I never want to see you again. What you did was unforgivable. I can never forgive you even if you begged me to. I just can't. So please…Never come back. It'll be better for everyone if you didn't come back. I DON'T need you, Sonny. I DON'T want you. I DON'T miss you. I DON'T want to wait for you. It's too late. It's way too late for you to fix things. So, let's just have it like this…I don't forgive you, and you don't forgive me for what I'm about to do. Bye, Sonny. Forever, I hope._

_Signed,_

…

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><p>The bottom portion of the letter was ripped off so that the writer of the note remained a mystery. After reading the note, Tawni and I looked up at each other in shock.<p>

"Who can this be?"

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><p><strong>AN: Gasp! What do you think? Send me your predictions, thoughts, and ideas in a review! I've noticed that the amount of reviews has dropped recently, so please review even if you've never done that before. :) <strong>

**Also, my fanfiction one year anniversary is coming up in nine days! I'm not sure if I'll update until then, so…Thank you to all my reviewers! You make me feel special. :) **

**Special shoutout goes to my first ever reviewer back when I wrote my first story "The Summer's Almost Over"…** **TheSarahStar! Lol, this story was for your contest and you happen to be the one who gave me my very first review. :) **

**Yay! Don't forget to review!**

**- Cynthia xox**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hi there! Sorry for the long wait. Demi's birthday is on August 20, so that's pretty exciting! She's turning 20…on the 20th! How cool is that! :) Don't forget to tell me what you're gonna do to celebrate! :D Thank you to my reviewers! **

**Slinky Flower the Lovatic: Your clever review totally made me laugh and it's gotta be one of my favorites. Nice guess by the way, but….we'll see what happens. :) Yay for Perry the Platypus! :D**

**CiaLovesChannyForeverLovatic : Hmm, I wonder who's on your mind. :)**

**MrB.o.B1990: Again, nice guess, but….we'll see what happens. ;) And don't forget what I told you. :)**

**And to the guest reviewer...There are going to be a lot of twists in this story, trust me. ;) Ooh, and more cliffhangers 'cause I like those. :) Anyways, here you go…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC.**

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><p>Grady's POV:<p>

Alright, so a lot has happened since Sonny left So Random when everything fell out of place. It was just like my old solar system analogy…Everything was balanced with Sonny around to keep all the friendships in the studio connected and steadfast, never wavering until she left us all to spin out in different directions. Now even Nico and I don't talk anymore. We hadn't talked since Sonny left the studios. The only other Condor Studios' cast member I've kept in contact with was Chastity. Our houses were right next to each other in the same neighborhood, so we often used to carpool to go to work.

In the last few months, we had even been going out. Chastity and I had developed a small friendship during the time that we worked together at the studios. She was the perfect girl for me, being a simple man. She always understood me and gave me advice on all things involved with life. That always reminded me of my special talk time with Sonny that I had every week. I missed those times with Sonny, although my mind was telling me not to miss her, not to feel any ounce of emotion for her. In fact, I was the last one that ever spoke to her before she left.

* * *

><p>Flashback…<p>

It was Friday evening after our live show, and I stood in the hallway with Sonny's cell phone in my hands. She must've dropped it as she was walking through the studios. For the next twenty minutes I ran around trying to find her, asking every single person I saw if they had seen her. All of their replies showed that they hadn't seen Sonny lately. Out of breath, I walked out into the parking lot in hopes of finding her. As I stood in the middle of the parking lot, the phone vibrated which made me check the screen. A text from Tawni showed up asking where Sonny was. Of course, I chose to ignore it. I was trying to find out the same thing anyways. I tapped a few buttons on her phone to get the message off and accidentally ended up on one of Sonny's private messages to her mom. What I read next shocked me.

_Mom, I'm leaving So Random. There's just too much to handle right now. I just need to get away from Chad and the rest of my cast for a while. I'll call you when you're awake, but here I'll give you my new address for where I'll be living soon…_

I quickly read it and noticed that she was going to Arizona, so I quickly forwarded the message to my own cell phone to keep the address. Suddenly, I heard someone's footsteps coming up behind me when I quickly exited the message on the phone and turned around.

"Hey, Sonny!" I spoke rapidly, waving my nervous hand that wasn't holding her phone.

"Hey, Grady," she said half-heartedly. She wasn't smiling as usual. Lately, she'd been feeling down and right now, she looked incredibly tired.

"Hey, I've found your cell phone," I said holding it up and waving it a bit.

"Thanks," Sonny mumbled and put it in her purse.

There was a little silence for a moment as we stood next to our cars which were parked right by each other, and I awkwardly fumbled around for something to say, maybe just a bit of small talk.

"So…" I trailed. "How's your family?"

She kept her eyes down while she replied in a soft voice.

"Um…fine, I guess…my mom's still in Wisconsin," she said slowly.

"Cool…cool. Hmm, do you have any plans for this weekend?" I asked cautiously, aware of the message I'd just read.

Sonny swallowed and took a few seconds to reply.

"Oh, this weekend? Well, I'm going to be moving things around at my house. Gotta tidy things up for the spring. You know, spring cleaning," she said. She seemed a bit nervous there.

"Oh, well, why don't I come over and help you?" I asked, giving my voice a tone of eagerness.

"Uh, sorry, Grady, but that's not needed. I'm not gonna take that much stuff with me," Sonny said. I noticed that her eyes quickly widened right after she said that, but then she quickly masked it with a small smile. I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you gonna go somewhere?" I replied to her previous comment, thinking about the cell phone message while crossing my arms.

"Sure, a little vacation from work seems pretty nice," she shrugged.

"How long of a vacation?" I quickly responded.

"I don't really know, honestly," Sonny mumbled. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"Just checking in with my friend," I stated.

"Look, Grady, it's getting late. I really need to head home right now," she said, opening her car door.

"Wait!" I yelled, slamming her door. I jumped to stand in between Sonny and her car.

"Grady! What now?" Sonny yelled, irritated as she stared at my eyes.

"I know what you're planning on doing!" I blurted.

A loud gasp came from Sonny's mouth.

"What! Grady, how could you?" she yelled. "How'd you find out?"

"I saw your message in your phone!" I said.

"That wasn't meant for you! Why would you go looking at other people's messages? Uggghhhhh…" Sonny clenched her fists and paced around a few steps.

"Well, it was sort of an accident…Anyways, I can't let you do this." I told her.

"Sorry Grady, it's my choice, not yours," she sighed. "I'm gonna need you to stay out of this. You have to promise me never to tell anyone about this, got it?" she said stepping closer to me. I shook my head.

"Promise!" she screamed right in front of my face.

She looked extremely furious, and I'm sure she wouldn't take no for an answer. I could see it in her eyes. They were blazing at me. It was something that I've never seen before.

"Grady Mitchell, you are going to promise me right now!" she yelled.

I gulped. "Alright, fine, I promise!" I said, raising my right hand.

Being myself, I decided to quickly give in. Sonny seemed to simmer down after that and walked towards her car.

She sighed. "Bye, Grady."

"Bye, Sonny," I said as she drove away.

End of Flashback…

* * *

><p>So that was the last time I saw her. The next morning when I drove over to her house, I found that it was empty and that she had already moved away. I did keep my promise and never told anybody about the message I'd seen on her phone, although I still had that message saved in my own phone. I didn't ever delete it all this time. I haven't visited her, but at least I know where she lived.<p>

I was sitting on my front porch in the night just pondering on a lot of things. One of them was the breakup with Chastity that I had just a couple of hours ago. She suddenly came to me and decided to end our relationship. She didn't give me a reason for doing it; she just did. Now I'm just left here feeling confused and heartbroken. This was my first true relationship. It was a big part of my life, and it meant a lot to me. When I went by Chastity's house to see her, she wasn't there anymore. I looked through her windows and saw that her house looked empty inside. There was a huge sign outside on her lawn which read, "Sold." I didn't know that she sold her house and wanted to move away. Why would she want to do that? Why so suddenly? Why is everyone leaving me? Those were the questions that kept repeating through my mind.

After a few minutes, I decided to go back inside my house since it was getting chilly outside. I slumped onto my couch and turned on the TV only to find a surprising news report involving the studios.

"An arsonist has succeeded in setting Condor Studios on fire tonight and firefighters are in the midst of battling the flames. Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper have been injured in the fire and were sent to the nearby hospital to be treated. Not much is known at the moment about the identity of the arsonist, but sources say that he or she fled the scene and is currently being tracked down…"

My heart beat quickened during the report and I gulped. Something was telling me that I had an idea of who it was.

* * *

><p>Tawni's POV:<p>

Chad and I just sat there blinking with neither of us saying a word for a whole two minutes. I finally ended the silence in the room.

"Chad, do you have any idea who this could be?" I asked, horrified. I pointed to the letter in his hands.

Chad swallowed. "Well, whoever it is has got to be part of the So Random cast. See, it says here that 'You and I used to be best friends and so was the rest of the cast.'"

"Yeah, and has to be one of the guys since he mentioned liking Sonny as more than a friend," I observed.

"Wow, these couple of days just gets crazier by the minute," muttered Chad.

"I can't believe all this is happening," I sighed. "This is all like one huge, twisted episode of Mackenzie Falls. Everything just gets worse and worse."

Chad turned to look at me. "Tawni, you still watch the Falls?"

"Well yeah, only when it's on. And it's always on even after all these years," I said, as Chad smirked.

"Ha, now that is really great. I thought that they'd stop showing it. I sort of miss watching myself on TV since I haven't in a while," Chad said.

"I see that your arrogant self hasn't left you yet," I said with a little smile. "Anyways, why don't we go visit Sonny in her room?"

"Sure, let me just call the doctor and see if it's fine for me to go for a little bit."

After a few minutes of preparing to go see Sonny, I volunteered to push Chad's wheelchair since his leg was still in a cast. It just seemed like the friendly thing to do at the moment.

* * *

><p>Chad's POV:<p>

With Tawni pushing my wheelchair, we both made our way towards Sonny's hospital room at the end of the hall. I was feeling really anxious as we strode down the endless hallway passing door after door. My palms were sweaty as I grasped the armrests on the wheelchair. Hundreds of thoughts were shooting through my mind, but they were stopped short when Tawni paused in front of the entrance to Sonny's room.

"Well, here we are," Tawni sighed.

The door was already open so Tawni was able to just continue wheeling me into the room. The lights were off, but the faint streaks of light from the gloomy afternoon sun shone through and rested on Sonny's sleeping shadow. It was enough to see her clearly in the dim light. I hadn't seen her since yesterday night during the fire.

My eyes focused on her pale face which was holding an expression so emotionless…so lifeless… Her eyelids were closed in a deep slumber, and her lips were colorless. Sonny resembled Sleeping Beauty, lying in somnolence until her prince rescued her by kissing her weak, faded lips. I sighed at the thought.

Tawni walked up to the wall beside her bed and managed to find the light switch. The dismal room became filled with light, revealing all the gray hospital equipment and machines around us. What Tawni and I didn't know was that the light would reveal something else that would shock us.

To my surprise, the three of us were not alone in the room.

Tawni and I gasped as our heads turned to see a familiar face standing in the corner. This person was not one of the hospital's personnel but someone we had known for a long time. And now we've only just met again after such a long while…

"What are you doing here?" I yelled.

"Chad…Tawni…So we meet again."

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><p><strong>AN: Gasp! Dun..Dun..Dunnn! Review with your predictions and ideas! By the way, new reviewers are welcome! Even if you've never reviewed this story before. :) <strong>

**Peace out suckahs!**

**- Cynthia xox**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hi! I just changed the summary for this story to make it include events for the whole thing since it was originally just a one-shot and the old summary didn't explain the rest of the story. **

**Summary: Fires, a coma, a kidnapper, broken friendships, & traitors..Sonny returns so it all spins out of control with surprising twists and tragic accidents in this tale of mystery.**

**And since it's been so long since I last updated…Here is a helpful little rewind of what happened earlier in case you forgot…**

_**Previously on I Need You, Sonny**__…_

"_I looked up from the page and saw her. My one and only Sonny. Grinning that smile that she used to do so long ago…"_

_"Of course I did Chad," she whispered. "It was the hardest decision I had to make…"_

"_A raging fire has taken over Condor Studios in L.A. early this evening…"_

"_I wonder what's happening with Sonny. I hope that she's alright…I need to be with her…I need her next to me…"_

_"She suffered serious head trauma and is currently in the state of a coma…"_

"_I quickly turned around and was taken by surprise as a man dressed in dark clothes raised his arm and some heavy object collided with my head. All became a blur after that…"_

"_It has been reported that one of So Random's very own cast members, Zora Lancaster, has been a victim of kidnapping..."_

_"Dev! Slow down the car! We're gonna crash!" she said with blazing eyes. "Devvvon! Are you listening to me? I think I'm gonna be sick!"_

"_I hopped into my car and started the engine. I've got a lot of driving to do after what I did…"_

"_I picked it up in my hands, examining it. A hat. More specifically, a fedora…"_

"_So, let's just have it like this…I don't forgive you, and you don't forgive me for what I'm about to do. Bye, Sonny. Forever, I hope…"_

_"Grady Mitchell, you are going to promise me right now..."_

"_Not much is known at the moment about the identity of the arsonist, but sources say that he or she fled the scene and is currently being tracked down…"_

_"Chad…Tawni…So we meet again…"_

**Here's the next chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC. Also, events in this story are not an actual depiction of the show and/or Demi Lovato. So, the reasons behind Sonny leaving So Random (which I haven't fully explained yet so far in the story) are not a reflection of actual real life events. And it's not even gonna be close, so please don't automatically just assume things. Okay? Okay. :)**

* * *

><p>Chad's POV:<p>

Tawni and I stared at the guy in front of us and he stared back. We were all frozen for a minute just looking at each other. No one made a sound; no one made any movements. The air was as still as it could be, but Tawni split the silence as she spoke.

"Grady? We haven't seen you in so long. What are you doing here?" she asked, the total shock radiating from her face. I've never seen Tawni so surprised like this before. It was a new sight to see.

"I just came over to see Sonny… But apparently, you two are here as well," Grady said, gesturing to us with his arm. "I wasn't _exactly_ planning on seeing anyone else from the studios."

In a flash, I exchanged a confused glance with Tawni and added something. "Wait, but why were you hiding in the dark?"

Grady sighed and put his head down. "The lights were on at first, and I'd just gotten here less than a minute before you guys came. I heard both of your voices coming towards this room, and so I panicked and kind of tried to hide for a moment." Then he turned to Tawni. "I especially didn't want to see _you_ after what took place in your dressing room last time we saw each other about…" Grady paused. "…a year ago? Man, it's been so long."

Tawni gradually narrowed her eyes. "Huh. And _I _didn't want to see you either," she said, her eyes hard like steel and her sharp voice cutting the tension-filled air. She crossed her arms, taking a step closer to Grady. I just sat in place in my wheelchair and stared up at the two. I'm getting the feeling that something happened with the Randoms that I haven't known about.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback (Tawni's POV)…<em>

It was after the final So Random show which had gone so terribly wrong… The audience booed at us at the end and none of the cast members seemed to be getting along anymore. We didn't know it was the final one at that time as the four of us sauntered into the dressing room that Sonny and I used to share. While we were walking down the hall devoid of any sign of happiness, the boys were starting to pick a fight with each other through their words.

"That was the worst acting I've seen in all my life," Nico jeered at Grady, rolling his eyes.

"Wel-l-l! Look who's talking now! YOU were the one who forgot half of your lines!" Grady asserted.

"That's 'cause Tawni here missed her cue more than once!" accused Nico.

Their constant hammering was getting on my nerves.

"You guys, stop!" I shouted, as we walked through the door and stopped in the middle of the dressing room. "I can't handle always hearing all this fighting day in and day out every single time you two find something to yell about!"

"QUIET!" roared Zora with her fists clenched at her sides.

"What?" Nico snapped impatiently. "Are you gonna blame someone else too?"

"Nico, are we really going to start badmouthing each other? Again? This is getting really old," I sighed.

"Getting old hearing it, or getting old doing it?" Grady asked.

"Both!" I yelled.

"Why can't we all just apologize and move on!" breathed Zora.

"Shut it, Zora! That's probably _never_ gonna happen!" blared Nico.

I could see that Zora got a bit upset after that remark as her eyes began to get watery.

"Ughhh, can't you see how all this arguing is tearing us apart?" I added. "Why did we even get to all this fighting in the first place?"

"Ever since Sonny's left, we haven't been able to get a decent show done," said Nico.

"Exactly," Zora said.

"And we don't even know why she's left or where she's gone," I stated.

"Yeah, I know! What's the matter with her? Just skipping town without telling her friends…How selfish of her!" Nico replied, irritated.

"But we don't entirely know the reason that she left for," Grady said nervously. "We should just let her take a break and maybe, just maybe she'll come back."

"Oh, like you REALLY believe that?" Nico's sarcasm rung out through his voice. "Obviously she wouldn't think to come back now. It'll just make things worse."

"Worse than things are right now? That's pretty impossible," I scoffed.

"Yeah," Zora agreed.

"I _certainly_ don't want Sonny to reappear. I mean, is there anyone who actually wants her to bounce back over here and beg for forgiveness?" Nico asked.

I thought about it for a second and realized that I truthfully wouldn't want Sonny to return since we were better off without her. I looked around at the others' faces. Zora was looking down at the ground and sadly shaking her head side to side. Nico was standing tall with his arms crossed, and he was looking around at the others too. Grady just stood there listlessly with a dejected look on his face seeming disappointed. We all stood there thinking wordlessly until someone spoke up in a quiet voice.

"As a matter of fact, I wish Sonny would return," answered Grady.

"Haha, _what_?" Nico inquired, surprised. All eyes were on Grady now.

"How come?" I asked.

Grady looked a bit fidgety but managed to answer, "Look, we don't know where Sonny is, at least, not for certain. She couldn't have gone too far… But anyways, it's been so long since we've last seen her. Don't any of you want to give her a second chance? She was our friend, you guys."

"Hmm…good point, Grady," Zora replied. "I'd want to give Sonny a second chance, but not right now. I just can't. She hurt us by leaving."

"Yeah," I said. "And we can't exactly give her a second chance even if we wanted to, 'cause she's not here."

"Should we maybe go out and look for her?" Zora wondered.

"Wait a second…Wh-a-at? That's the most ridiculous idea I've heard so far. We are _not_ going to try and find her," Nico responded, shaking his head.

"There _is_ a possibility of finding her," Grady mentioned.

"How's that? We have no idea where to even start," I said.

After my comment, I looked over at the two guys. Zora was just sitting quietly on one of the sofas now. Nico's face seemed upset at the thought of going over to look for Sonny while Grady's seemed like he had gone slightly nervous. His eyes were quickly looking around at us and his palms were getting sweaty. I wonder what's up with that.

"Listen," Nico started. "I don't think I'll _ever _give Sonny a second chance, Grady. And yeah, we don't know where she is. She could be anywhere. Ha, she could even still live in LA for all we know! We wouldn't even know where to look, so it's pointless to try. Unless we knew of the continent she's living in right now," Nico scoffed.

"Or what country," Zora lightly mentioned from the sofa.

"Or what city!" I added with a small grin.

"Or what _state_…" Grady finished, unlike us looking serious. I decided then to interject.

"Okay Grady, why are you always acting strangely whenever we're talking about where Sonny could possibly be right now?" I asked him.

As Grady opened his mouth to reply, my thoughts clicked into place.

"Wait a minute! Grady, do you know anything about where Sonny ran off to?" I blurted.

Grady was about to reply again, but Nico cut him off.

"Hey, you said that she couldn't have gone far just a few minutes ago and─" Nico pointed out.

"Wait, why didn't you tell us!" I yelled.

Nico and I were now standing right in front of Grady, firing him all these questions.

"Okay, first of all, you guys aren't letting me have enough time to answer your questions. And secondly, you're both standing really close to me," Grady said as Nico and I stepped back a little bit.

"Alright, thank you," Grady sighed. "Now, I'm not gonna say anything," he said presumptuously.

"Why not?" I snapped.

"See, I promised her I wouldn't tell," Grady replied.

"Actually, you know what? I don't even wanna _know_ where she is," said Nico with both his arms up.

"Yeah, I don't really want to know either," I added after a few seconds of considering what Nico was saying. "Why would I want to care to know where she is anyway?"

"Oh, _there's_ the Tawni we all used to know and still _don't_ want to get along with," Zora said, getting up from the sofa to stand next to us. "You never care about anything!"

"…Besides yourself," Nico sneered.

I can't believe they're going over this again.

"Look, you guys don't have to mock me over and over, alright? I'm over this," I said a bit unconvincingly. They just rolled their eyes, so I sighed and decided to elaborate. "We've all changed since Sonny left. No one's the same anymore."

"Yup, and we've found out that someone's been hiding a secret from us all this time," Zora said, looking at Grady.

"And we've found that someone's acting like a huge drama queen all the time!" Grady directed to me.

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if someone wasn't always blowing off about every little thing that's gone wrong and starting humongous riots with all the constant quarreling!" I yelled at Nico.

"Whoa, hold up!" started Nico, putting his hand out. "At least I'm not the one that keeps on whining all week about Sonny being gone!" he said, glaring at Zora who had raised her eyebrows upon hearing this. Nico continued in a mocking tone, "It's always, '_Things wouldn't be like this if Sonny was here!_'or like, '_Sonny was the only one that I could actually trust around here!_'"

"Hey! I don't sound like that!" Zora bursted.

"Face it, Sonny's not here and she's not coming back. We should just forget about her…" Nico said.

It was then where Nico said some nasty, horrible things about Sonny that I'd rather not repeat.

"Alright, now I'm just sick of your attitude!" Grady snarled at Nico.

"Oh, well this is what I think of your opinion!" Nico yelled as he picked up a lamp from the small table near my sofa and hurled it at the wall. It instantly split into broken little fragments as it came in contact with the wall.

I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. Nico had officially gone crazy.

"And this is what I think about our 'friendship'!" Grady put some finger quotes in the air and grabbed the chair in front of my makeup mirror. Then, he launched it at Nico who was a few feet away from him. Zora and I gasped as Nico ducked and the chair crashed into Sonny's mirror on her makeup table. Of course that completely destroyed the mirror, leaving behind shattered fragments of glass on the carpet on Sonny's side of the room.

"You guys, STOP!" Zora yelled, standing next to me off to the side of the room.

Nico snatched Sonny's nearby guitar from its stand and started swinging it around, knocking over the side lamps and other miscellaneous things from the smaller makeup tables in the center of the room as Grady took one of the mannequins from the back. They both yelled at the same time and charged at each other. Then they began to try and hit each other with their items, but when they collided, the mannequin and guitar broke in two. After that, they were rolling on the floor, wrestling. They knocked over most of the furniture in the room as Zora and I stood frozen in horror. Grady stopped the brawling for a second and ran over to my sofa on my side of the room, but Nico went and tackled him to the ground, flipping the sofa over as they pummeled it with their force.

It was all happening so quickly, and I didn't know exactly what to do at the moment as I watched the scene unfold. The boys furiously tumbled on the carpet and tore down the curtain on Sonny's wardrobe-changing area. They bumped Sonny's clothing rack which crashed to the floor, resulting in a tangle of fabric all over Sonny's side of the room. The two guys still continued wrestling all over the floor getting mixed-up in the mess on the carpet.

I finally decided to intercede and rushed over to the two guys.

"Hey! You guys! Stop it!" I screamed, waving my arms and standing near them.

Thankfully, within a couple of minutes, they took their arms off of each other and stood up, slightly brushing off their own clothes. They stood there, breathing hard and giving each other dirty looks. I looked back at Zora who was left cowering at the side of the room, looking terrified of the whole situation.

"Look what you've done to this place. This has gone way too far," I told Nico and Grady.

"You know what, I just want to get out of this place," Nico said breathing heavily, and walking towards the exit.

"Me too," Grady replied walking towards the other door of the dressing room.

"I think we should all just leave, like Sonny did," I replied.

"I think so too," Zora said softly.

"Alright, so I guess this is the end," Grady said. "…Of all our friendship."

"I am _never _gonna come near this place again," Nico said as he simply walked out.

"Me neither," Grady said, leaving.

"This is it. Bye Tawni," sighed Zora as she stepped through the door, leaving me alone in the remains of my dressing room…

_End of Flashback…_

* * *

><p>Chad's POV:<p>

I sat in my wheelchair in Sonny's hospital room staring back and forth at Tawni and Grady confronting each other. Within a minute, they broke into a full-on argument while I was just frozen there, trying to understand what was going on. I couldn't get what any of them was talking about, and their shouting just got louder and louder as the seconds passed by.

When I thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, someone showed up at the entrance to the hospital room we were in. And for a second, I couldn't believe it.

"Whoa…this is probably a bad time…" trailed Ferguson.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whoa, long chapter! :) Please, please review! It is really encouraging to me and helps me write and update sooner. So yeah, another cliffhanger…but at least I told you who it was at the end. Try to predict what happens next in your reviews! Peace out for now…<strong>

**- Cynthia :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hey there, sorry this took so long. I noticed that the last update was in September. This is the kind of story that isn't supposed to have unusually long breaks in between updates, so I totally apologize. :( **

**Random shoutouts to: IAmSRAK, Slinky Flower the Lovatic, MrB.o.B1990, and CiaLovesChannyForeverLovatic :)**

**Last chapter had a nice overall summary of the events in the story to refresh your memory if you forgot what happened so far. Thanks for reading, and please review! **

* * *

><p>Ferguson's POV:<p>

As I walked through the halls of the hospital, I fidgeted with my phone. My cell beeped as a new message came up.

_To: F. M._

_So you're there already? Great, now don't mess this up cuz I don't think I could trust you. :P_

I swiftly made a reply to her as soon as I'd read it.

_To: C. D._

_Leave it all up to me. I'll try to avoid any Randoms too. Ughh, dealing with Chad's gonna be hard enough.:/_

I put my phone back into my jacket's pocket and strode into the room Chad was staying at. After I had stepped in, I only saw a nurse off to the side writing something on a clipboard. She looked up at me for one second and then resumed to scribbling in her notes.

"Hi, I'm looking for Chad Dylan Cooper…" I spoke hesitantly.

"Oh, he's currently at another room right now," she told me. I was given directions on how to get there, and so I was on my way. The room was only a few doors down the hall. When I turned to go into the doorway, I stopped as the chaos of the scene revealed itself to me. I saw Tawni and Grady having a very loud argument, complete with spastic gestures. Chad was just sitting down in a wheelchair with his face buried in his hands.

I couldn't stop my surprise. "Whoa…this is probably a bad time…"

"FERGUSON?" Chad choked out. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he yelled as Grady and Tawni's apparent quarrel came to a halt. They stared at me with widened eyes. I heard the faint sound of a small gasp from Grady.

I just stiffly froze in place, looking around at the faces in the dissonant room including Sonny's. I felt a small ounce of sympathy for the girl. I never did care about her in the past, but seeing her in her weakest state made me feel just a bit of sorrow for her at the moment. I sighed. I had heard about the news reports though it wasn't really in my nature to feel sorry for anyone...

"I think I'll just leave. I could see that you're all kind of busy right now," I said motioning to them. I nodded slightly and started to step backwards towards the exit. I almost backed out of the plan…

"No, stay," Chad quickly interjected, somewhat gentler this time.

I walked up to his wheelchair as I shoved my hands into my pockets apprehensively. My fingers started fiddling with my cell phone.

"No, I don't know about this," I mumbled with a slight shake of my head. "See, we haven't seen each other in a while and I wanted to talk to you alone about something." I paused. "Something important. And I didn't think you'd be around these guys…" I trailed, keeping a watchful eye on the confused-looking Randoms in the room. Tawni was giving me an icy glare while Grady just stood there, frowning. I felt a bit uneasy and on edge like I could spring at any moment. I still couldn't stand any people from the other show.

"Well, what is it?" asked Chad, sounding a little bitter. I could tell by his eyes that he wasn't ready to see me again, and I felt the same way too. It's been a while, like what, a few years?

"Look, I know that I've hated you for a while now and I'm sorry," I said rashly. I wasn't so sure if I meant it or not. Oh well. I looked directly at Chad to see if I was convincing enough. Chad just mildly hardened his expression towards me. I continued. "Now if you don't want to be friends with me again, I get that," Tawni noticeably scoffed at this point, and I chose to ignore her. "But I don't want to be fighting against you anymore. So…I had the guts to come over here and actually talk to you instead of giving you the cold-shoulder like the other Falls jerks have been doing for who-knows how long."

Chad opened his mouth to say something right as the geeky Random interrupted him.

"Not all of them were jerks! At least one of them proved herself to be a decent person," Grady stated. I suddenly recalled what he would be talking about in my mind.

"Oh yeah, that's right," I sneered. "You were going out with Chastity! I remember now!"

At that second, Grady shifted to an uncomfortable-looking state and turned the slightest shade of red while Tawni and Chad whipped their heads toward him with their mouths half-open in surprise. I grinned to myself chuckling lightly. This should go well…

"WHAT? YOU DID? UGGGHH!"

"Dude! Why haven't you told us yet? _Really_?"

"I can't imagine that you would date one of _them_! I thought Chad and Sonny would be the only ones. The idea of a Random dating one of the Falls actors is disgusting!"

Okay, now that just ticked me off.

"Ahem…I'm right here, Tawni," I mentioned, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah, and so am I, remember?" Chad added, facing Tawni.

Tawni sighed and turned to me. "Whatever, okay? And…sorry, Chad."

I rolled my eyes.

"So what happened between you and Chastity?" inquired Tawni, stepping closer to Grady.

"Oh…well…we sorta, kinda broke up," he said, looking at the ground and playing with his fingers.

"Hmm, that's too bad," I offered, though I already knew what had happened. Chastity had told me everything right away the same day that her scenario had played out. "But at least _now_… she's with someone who's better for her and who'll actually treat her right," I grinned.

"What?" Grady breathed. "No… no, no, no."

"That's right, Chastity left you for me. Now, is that what you expected? Didn't think so," I said, crossing my arms and shaking my head. The energy in Grady's face drained until he turned pale, and he was left there in a dejected state. He just sulked, speechless as he kept his head facing the ground, not looking up. I almost felt bad for doing that to him, but then I shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Look, Ferguson, what else have you come here to do?" Chad asked, irritated. Hmm, it seemed like we all got distracted earlier when I was supposed to tell him. All eyes were on me now, even Grady's.

"Alright. I guess these Randoms can hear what I have to say too. Of course, I've seen the news around here lately and it hasn't been pretty," I started, my heart beat getting quicker. "And I've come with some very important information…I know who started your studio fire, Chad."

Chad gulped. In the next beat of silence, I took a quick glance around at all their faces which were anxious to find out what I had to say. Well, here we go…

"We all know this person… and I promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone, but the person who did it is…"

I cringed.

…

…

…

…

"…Penelope."

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><p><strong>AN: GASP. Who? What? When? Where? Why? What are your thoughts? Ideas? What did you think of Ferguson? It was my first time writing from his POV. Thanks for reading and please review! I've been getting fewer reviews lately and it's kind of sad. It makes me wonder if I should really continue writing this story or not. I don't know… Anyways, if you could review, then that would be wonderful. :) Peace out for now!<strong>

**- Cynthia**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hey there! :) I want to mention a few points to help clear things up that could've been confusing in this story…So far, the story has taken place over a span of two days which I'm going to make a Friday and a Saturday. **

**On the first day: the studio fire happened, Zora got kidnapped, and Devon & Penelope had the encounter with Chastity. And then on the second day, Chad is with the other people in Sonny's hospital room which is where the chapter is at right now. **

**Here we go…**

* * *

><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

"WHAT?"

I knew it. I was shaking my head in disappointment, suppressing all the angry, hateful remarks I had boiling in my pounding mind. I felt my skin grow warmer little by little almost as if a fever was brewing inside of me.

I knew I couldn't trust her. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it…

Penelope hadn't stopped causing trouble from the first time she ever appeared on that confounded excuse of a drama. Chad was the only one from the Falls that I could trust since he earned my trust during the time he and Sonny were dating. Unfortunately, he ruined it after the breakup resulting in us being enemies again for a few years until the present when we forgave each other. I was on Chad's side now. I'm not sure if I'm on Grady's side though. We argued up a storm just a few minutes ago…

"_I thought I'd never really see you again! Well, because I still don't really want to."_

"_This is exactly why I didn't want to come here!"_

"_You were the one that started the breakup of the cast!"_

"_What? Accusing me? Oh, but you were the one that ruined the show!"_

"_Don't you yell at me like that!"_

And it went on like that for ten more agonizing minutes until I got a headache and one of the Falls guys randomly popped in. What, was this some kind of reunion thing going on? It certainly looked like it, and I wasn't enjoying it at all.

I also didn't like the fact that Ferguson was there with us. He looked shifty and uncomfortable just like he always was back then. Maybe he's hiding something, or maybe I'm just too quick to be suspicious of someone.

"How do we know we can trust you?" I questioned him, raising my eyebrows.

"Why? You don't believe me? If I wasn't telling you the truth, why would I even be here?" Ferguson said with a scowl. "You believe me, right Chad?"

Chad quietly nodded his head, looking deep in thought.

"Look, I can't guarantee it, but just let the police handle the investigating," said Ferguson.

"It seems likely that Penelope would have done it. Remember how she tried to get rid of Sonny by framing Tawni that time?" Chad mentioned.

I remembered that entire moment, and I'm so glad that Penelope got caught after that whole thing happened. She got arrested for a while but then got released shortly. She's got a pretty crazy mind to be able to make that plan which apparently included a cheese-ball bomb. That girl is nuts. Then again, _everyone_ from the Falls has been insane at one point or another. Why do drama shows always have the most crazed people? That's just a thought.

"So is there anything else you've got to tell us?" Grady asked Ferguson.

"Well, I do know something else. Today's the one-month anniversary of Devon and Penelope's relationship," he stated.

I groaned. Those two together? Although, I'd sometimes thought they would be going out sooner or later. They just seemed to be a great match during the time we were all at the studios years ago, not that I'm an expert at relationships.

"Hey, have you heard that Zora's been kidnapped?" Chad asked, looking at Ferguson and Grady who might not have heard that news yet.

"As a matter of fact, I did," replied Ferguson.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…What?" Grady said, confused. "When did that happen? Does anyone know who did it?"

We all shook our heads. I almost forgot about that. Poor Zora. And I was a bit mean to her too.

"I don't know who did it, but I think I was the last one to talk to her at my house yesterday night before it happened," I recollected.

"Why was Zora at your house yesterday night?" asked Grady.

"She wanted to convince me to visit Sonny and Chad at the hospital with her, but I refused. So then she left to drive to the hospital by herself and that's it," I stated with a sigh.

"Hmmmmm," Ferguson drew out a long suspicious hum. "Sounds like you've got a part in the kidnapping." He pointed over at me, and the others snapped their heads in my direction.

"WHAT? NO!" I said at a louder volume than I had intended. How dare he accuse me! "I only said that I was with her last!"

"So we're supposed to believe that it was all just a coincidence?" Grady asked. He paused before he spoke again. "What if Ferguson here had something to do with Zora being kidnapped!"

"I swear, I had nothing to do with it!" Ferguson defended.

"Guys, stop. Just because the kidnapping happened at that time doesn't mean that Tawni or anyone had something to do with it!" Chad told them.

"Thank you!" I sighed, relieved that Chad still had some sense. "Man, why can't anyone trust people anymore?"

"It's probably just the heaviness of the situation we're all in right now. No one's completely calm. Everyone's on edge, as if the world's about to stop spinning," Chad commented, glancing over at Sonny who was on the other side of the room. She still looked very pale, and she was yet to be awoken. I wondered how Chad was able to stay calm during all of this. If I was in his situation, I would have given up on everything ages ago. It occurred to me that Chad still hasn't had the chance to be with Sonny by himself ever since I wheeled him over to this room. I turned to Ferguson and Grady.

"Guys, I'm sure Chad wants to spend some time alone with Sonny," I said. Then I turned to Chad. "I need to go get some dinner. I think I'll be able to visit you again tomorrow."

Grady and Ferguson took that moment as their cue to start heading out as well. It was getting late after all. We exchanged cell phone numbers and said goodbye. Then, I was the first to walk out of the room to head to my car.

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><p><strong>Devon's POV:<strong>

It was a breezy Saturday night, and I watched the distant tall palm trees swaying in the wind as I drove past them. Penelope and I were on the 405 freeway where my car was barely moving at 30 mph when it should be going at 70. I glanced over at the digital clock on the car radio which showed that it was about 8 p.m. Then, I rolled down the windows to let the cool breeze in. Living in LA got me used to sitting through these traffic jams, even the ones that occurred past midnight on the freeway. You'd think that the roads are pretty empty at night, but no, traffic can happen at any given time. I just took the time to relax and listened to the quiet ballad on the radio. I've dealt with slow-moving traffic many times before, so I was used to it. Unfortunately, some people aren't…

"Devon, are we there yet?" Penelope pouted. She was getting a bit antsy, sitting in traffic for so long. I rolled my eyes since I'd learned to put up with Penelope's complaining. It made her look cute in a way. Strange thought, but yeah.

"We're just a few minutes away. I just need to get off the freeway," I replied with a small grin. We were on our way to Penelope's favorite steakhouse for a special dinner celebrating our one month of being together. I spotted the sign that read _Exit 57_, leading to Sunset Boulevard. I took the familiar exit and soon was parking at the restaurant a little while after that. I got out of the car and walked around to the side where Penelope was sitting. I opened the car door for her like a gentleman.

"Aww, thanks," she smiled up at me.

"Anything for you, my darling," I replied.

"Don't call me that," she said with another smile as we approached the entrance to the restaurant. I chuckled lightly.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! I've left the drama for the next chapter. Please review! Also, if any of you read Austin &amp; Ally fanfics, I wrote a oneshot! It would be really awesome if you check it out and review. :) Peace out suckahs!<strong>

**- Cynthia**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry for taking a while to update. Did you guys watch the Austin & Ally and Jessie crossover episode yet? It's completely awesome! :) I kinda noticed that not many people are writing SWAC fanfics as much as they did a year ago which is kind of sad…Anyways, here is the next chapter which was a bit hard to write. Please review! I hope you all like it!**

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><p><strong>Grady's POV: <strong>

After we all left Sonny's hospital room except for Chad, Tawni pulled me aside in the waiting area and took out a folded piece of paper from her purse.

"Grady, this is important. I need you to look at this," she said, solemnly handing me the note. "Chad and I are trying to find out who wrote it, and it came from the scene of Zora's kidnapping. So far, we've narrowed it down to two potential people."

I slowly nodded and quietly went through the process of reading the note. When about a minute passed, Tawni started getting antsy as she shuffled about, played with her fingers, and stared intensely at the letter in my hands.

"So, are you finished yet?" Tawni inquired as she tapped my shoulder.

"Just hold on, you know that I'm a slow reader," I mumbled. When I got to the end, I looked up from the page. Tawni searched my face for any sign of a reaction to the note, but I chose to keep it blank.

"Well, now that you've seen the letter…what do you think?" asked Tawni, interrupting the silence.

"Firstly, what do _you_ think?" I countered.

"Why are you asking _me_ that? I'm asking _you_ that," she said.

"I want to know your thoughts first," I said.

"But I asked first," Tawni said.

"Why aren't you answering my question?"

"Um, why aren't you answering _my_ question?"

"What question?"

"The question I asked first!"

"Wait, what are we talking about?"

"Grady!"

"Tawni!"

"Way to be mature, Grady…"

"Way to be sarcastic, Tawni."

"Okay, Grady, enough playing around. Do you know who wrote the letter?" Tawni asked, looking a bit frustrated now. "And why do you have to be so hard to talk to?"

"Of course I know who wrote it," I said.

"Then why don't you tell me?" asked Tawni.

"Alright, I know that─"

I got interrupted as someone snatched the letter right out of my hands.

"Hey, what are you guys looking at?" said a familiar voice. Tawni and I looked over to see Ferguson standing several feet away from us quickly reading through the note.

"Hey! Give it back! You're not supposed to read that!" Tawni yelled as she tried to grab the piece of paper from his grasp. Ferguson held it high and out of her reach in one hand as he continued to read the note.

"What's this letter all about?" asked Ferguson after reading it, still blocking Tawni with his free arm from getting the note back.

"Just give us back the note, and maybe we'll tell you," I said, swiftly grabbing the note from his hand. We all sat down in some chairs in the waiting area.

"Ugh…Men," Tawni grumbled, fixing her hair with her hands.

I rolled my eyes and briefly explained the letter situation to Ferguson.

"So do you know who wrote it?" he asked.

"Okay. As I was saying to Tawni here before we were so rudely interrupted, I know that it's gotta be someone from the cast of So Random and it's gotta be a dude which means it's either me or Nico," I started.

"Yeah, Chad and I already established that," said Tawni.

"Okay, I'm gonna just tell you that I'm not the one who wrote this. And I swear, I'm telling the truth," I stated with my hands up. Tawni gasped.

"And, that leaves Nico to be the guilty party," said Ferguson.

"I knew I couldn't trust that guy!" accused Tawni. She then looked over at Ferguson and me. "And I still can't fully trust you two either, but everyone's innocent until proven guilty. I'm watching you both. Especially you, Mr. Used-to-be-Falls-Actor." She sent a glare towards Ferguson.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Miss Used-to-be-Diva," smirked Ferguson.

"I bet she still is one," I added.

Tawni put her head in her hands and sighed. "I'd rather be anywhere else than to have to be near you two. I'm gonna drive and get some dinner. I told Chad that I'd visit him again tomorrow, so if you guys want to do that too, then feel free."

We all said goodbye to each other and eventually left the hospital for the night.

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><p><strong>Chad's POV:<strong>

I sat in my wheelchair in the hospital room with Sonny, and it was quiet since Tawni, Grady, and Ferguson had left. Who knew that there'd be a whole party of people coming to visit Sonny's hospital room? Now it wasn't the kind of quietness that was peaceful, but it was the kind of quietness that held tension. There was a difference between the two. Although the silence had developed a sort of restless tension, I hesitated to break it with the sound of my voice. I'd been watching Sonny in her current, sleeping state and decided to talk to her. Most likely, she couldn't hear me, but there wasn't any harm in speaking to her.

"H-hey there, Sonny," I began. Even my soft voice echoed around the room as it reverberated off of the tile floor.

"Umm, it's me, Chad. And I'm not sure if you can hear me at all, but that's okay. The last few days have just been so crazy. My mind still can't fully grasp the fact that you're actually back. I can finally be able to make things right…soon, I hope. But I know that what's going on now still doesn't compare to what happened years ago. I know you've had a rough past when we were at the studios and it was mostly my fault and also the rest of the Falls cast's fault. If you had any reason to leave like you did, I would totally expect it to be because of us. Because of me. I'm still not exactly sure why you did leave. You were about to tell me why, but then the fire happened. I want you to wake up so that I could apologize to you and so that you could tell me that you would forgive me. I need you to. The Falls cast isn't here, but I promise I'll make every single one of them apologize to you for treating you the way that they had. I really do promise. When you had first arrived at So Random, you were the one who got me closer to stop being the arrogant jerk that I used to be. You were the one who started me on the path to changing. I remember that it was just about a month since you first got settled in at your new job of being on the show. And I even remember that it was around the time that we weren't dating yet."

A sudden flashback came back to me as I pondered on those past events…

_Flashback: (Chad's POV)_

"_So I'll pick you up at 8?" I asked confidently with a million-dollar grin, speaking smoothly into my cell phone. _

"_Yup, that sounds great," Chastity giggled on the other end of the call. I could almost picture her twirling her silky, straight hair with her fingers as she often did when she was around me. _

"_Alright, see you then, babe," I replied. I ended the call and shoved my phone into the pocket of my sleek leather jacket. I grabbed my sunglasses from my desk in my dressing room along with my car keys._

_I was so looking forward to going home after the long week of exhausting filming. I headed for my car which was sitting in the parking lot as I strode down the studio's hallways with my hands in my pockets whistling a cheery tune. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder and I looked over to see Sonny walking beside me. Why was Sonny, one of those Randoms that I truly despised, coming to talk to me? _

"_Oh hey, Munroe," I mumbled absently as the smallest of greetings. I was hoping that she wouldn't really want to talk to me so that I could go on my way. She had to quicken her pace to catch up to me._

"_Hey, Chad," she smiled. "I heard that you're filming a movie over at Mackenzie Falls."_

"_First of all, we prefer to call it the Falls," I smirked as Sonny just let out a small scoff. "And the movie's the best thing the Falls has ever done. I got the director to add in a ton of action to go with all the drama. It's genius. See, the plot revolves around a special love hexagon, and Mackenzie has to hide undercover as a spy as he─"_

"_Ugh, Tawni's right. Your show is written by monkeys," Sonny interrupted as we both turned at the end of the hall. I was about to drop my smile, but Sonny's remark didn't faze me at all._

"_You're just jealous that our show actually has its own movie. I don't think So Random's gonna get one anytime soon," I shrugged as I walked past her._

"_Yeah, we will! I just don't think the writers have the whole script prepared yet," Sonny replied, jogging up to me. "And when we do get a movie, the monkeys that write your show are gonna be blown away by the success it brings."_

"_Either way, my show's writers are way better than the zombies that write yours. So Random isn't even funny," I said. I could see in her face that I managed to irritate her and for that, I felt a bit satisfied in the back of my mind._

"_Oh, and did I say monkeys? I actually meant donkeys!" Sonny snapped._

"_Don't you dare talk about the Falls like that!" I yelled. "Whatever, okay? Just be happy that So Random hasn't been cancelled yet," I replied. Sonny let out a sigh._

"_Just wondering, where are you hurrying off to?" she asked as we continued to move down the halls._

"_I need to get ready for my date with my girlfriend," I answered. After I had said that, the smallest frown appeared on Sonny's face. I wasn't even sure if she was frowning. I may have just imagined it in my rush to get home, but she didn't speak for a few long seconds._

"_You mean Chastity?" she asked softly._

"_Yeah, who else?" I replied over my shoulder, walking through the exit of the studio building. The huge glass door slammed right before Sonny got through, so I looked back as she hastily yanked it open and rushed over to catch up to me. I chuckled while I reached my car in the parking lot and unlocked it. Sonny caught up with me and sighed._

"_Look, Munroe, why are you following me?" I asked her._

"_First off, don't call me that. I have a first name, you know," she huffed. "And, I'm gonna need a favor."_

"_Which is...?" I dragged on, motioning for her to continue. Sonny just stood there with her arms crossed, glaring up at my expectant face. It stayed that way for a few silent seconds until she busted out a monstrous rant that her captivating fury forced me to listen to._

"_Chad, I'm tired of you and all the other Falls actors thinking that you're all better than us! The Randoms and I have put up with all your stupid dramatic fronts for so long, and we are not going to take your attitudes anymore! The truth is, you're a regular, normal person just like everybody else!" she yelled. I just raised my eyebrows as she went on._

"_Stop acting like you don't care! Just because you might have more money or more fame than most other people you know, doesn't mean you have the right to demand everyone to worship at your feet! We're sick of getting put down with your insults! You need to understand that you're not perfect! In all my time here so far, I've tried to act civil around you, but all you Falls jerks are a bunch of cold-hearted, self-serving, backstabbing, fakers! And I wish I'd never met any of you!"_

_With that, Sonny gave me one last hard stare and stomped away in the direction of the studio building. I stood still next to my car as her words sunk in for the first time. I didn't bury them too deeply though as I hurled myself into the drivers seat and slammed the door closed. What made her think she could say all that? I let out a loud sigh as I started up the engine. At that moment, Penelope drove up to my car._

"_What's her problem?" Penelope remarked with a scowl._

"_You heard?" I asked._

"_Yeah, I did," she nodded. "Why do you think she suddenly decided to do that?"_

"_I dunno," I mumbled. "I guess those feelings just build up after a while." I glanced over at Penelope and noticed that she seemed like she was focused on thinking._

"_Ohhhh, you know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that there's a specific reason why what's-her-name just did that," Penelope grinned. I was just confused. "Chad, I think she likes you and what caused her to yell at you was her jealousy." _

"_Huh? Penelope, don't take this the wrong way, but…you're crazy."_

"_Oh, come on! Think about it. It might be true, right? I just want to be right about something for once," said Penelope, shrugging. "Would you ever like her back though?"_

_Truthfully, I didn't know how to answer her. "Look, Penelope, I've gotta get going now. This day's been kind of hard, and I need to go home to think," I sighed._

_Penelope nodded. "Okay, but here's a bit of advice. Don't listen to anything that Random said."_

_End of Flashback…_

I shuffled about on my uncomfortable wheelchair as I remembered that brief moment in time. Sadly, I also remembered that I had followed what Penelope had told me for a long while until Sonny's words finally clicked into place.

"I'm gonna stay right by your side tonight, Sonshine," I said as I drifted to sleep in all my tiredness.

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><p><strong>AN: GASP. Thanks for reading! I'm not really doing the cliffhanger ending things anymore, but we'll see. Who liked Chad and Chastity together? What are your thoughts on the chapter? Predictions? Ideas? If any of you guys can predict what'll happen in the story, then you're awesome. :) Please review and tell me what you think. :) Peace out suckahs!<strong>

**- Cynthia**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hey guys! :D Thank you to the reviewers from the last chapter! Also, if any of you wanted to re-read the letter that the previous chapter was referring to, it's in chapter eight. :) Alright, here's the next chapter, and please review after you read!**

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><p><strong>Chastity's POV:<strong>

I had picked up a phone lying on the side of the freeway yesterday night after that close collision I had almost experienced. Back when I'd found it, I'd flipped through the photos it had in order to find out whose phone it was. Surprisingly, the photos were mostly of Penelope. In the end it turned out that it was Devon's phone. Of course. There were a few huge cracks on the screen but other than that, it worked great and I was fine with keeping it. After all, the best things in life were free.

"So…you're telling me they're at a restaurant in L.A. right now?" I asked on my cell phone as I sat in my car.

"Uh-huh," said Ferguson on the other end of the call. "And, I happen to know that they're being followed."

"Followed? By who?" I asked, gripping the phone curiously.

"By that blonde Random," he told me.

"Oh, you mean Tawni?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"So where are you right now, Ferg?"

"I just left the hospital and now I'm heading over to the airport."

"Okay, I'm still halfway in the middle of California and Arizona," I said, checking my GPS. "Did you do what I wanted and frame Penelope?"

"Yup. And when are you gonna tell me about what exactly happened between you and the studio fire?" he asked me. I sighed.

"I'll tell you later in person when we meet," I said. "I'll talk to you later. I've gotta make a quick phone call with someone."

"Alright, I'll meet you in Phoenix, Chas."

* * *

><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

I wasn't sure why I was doing this exactly, but I had a feeling that I had to. For revenge maybe? For Chad? Or maybe for Sonny… Whatever it was for, it involved me being in a disguise for the night. I took a khaki trench coat that went all the way down to my knees and put it on over my outfit. I'd had it in my car for the past few days because of the slightly rainy weather. In addition to the long garment, I wore the fedora that I had found earlier on my lawn to match my appearance. I felt like a spy in one of those movies, or at least a stalker of some kind which was a weird thought since I'd never want anyone to ever stalk me. Anyways, I was on a mission to bust Penelope, and awesomely, I was looking quite pretty while doing it.

I had asked Ferguson where the whereabouts were and it turned out that I'd been there before myself, so it wouldn't be that hard to find the place. I even offered the guy to come alongside me on this little mission, but he made it very obvious that he didn't want to get involved. Maybe, he still hated his other cast mates. It seemed possible.

After getting out of my car with my disguise on, I inconspicuously made my way into the doors of the steakhouse. The restaurant was pretty packed but not too crowded, and it wasn't too formal. There was even a cozy feeling as I saw families happily dining together. The atmosphere bustled with the sound of overlapping chatter and the constant sharp clanging of silverware. Booths lined the walls of the spacious rectangular room, and tables were arranged sporadically in the center. The sweet aroma of steak and spices blended in the air, making my mouth water. Taking a quick glance around at the scene before me, I managed to spot Penelope with Devon sitting at a booth that was just about at the back of the dining hall. At the entrance, I was greeted by a waiter with a warm smile.

"Good evening, miss. Would you like a booth or a table?" he asked politely.

I quickly made a decision in my head. "Um, a booth would be nice," I replied.

He beckoned me to follow him to an empty booth. As I was walking past the sea of tables scattered far and wide across deep mahogany wood floor, my heart started beating nervously as the waiter's footsteps brought me closer and closer to the one booth I was trying to avoid. Unfortunately, the waiter didn't stop until he led me to the booth just right beside Devon and Penelope who were sitting across from each other. With a swift glance around the entire restaurant, I realized that this booth was the only one open at the moment. Since there was nothing else to do and if I stood around any longer the couple would definitely notice me, I plopped down onto the seat in a split second. The waiter placed a menu on the table and cheerfully strode away to attend to other customers, leaving me right next to the dreadful couple.

So basically, I was now sitting back-to-back with Devon with only the backrest of the booth separating us. The backrest of the seat only went up to about my neck, so I slouched a bit in order to hide myself and held the open menu book up to my face. My mission was to spy on Penelope for a while to find out if she was planning to do any more damage to Chad and the rest of us Randoms. Then, after a while, I'd jump out from hiding and expose her for the villain that she was. It was too bad that Penelope was the one sitting farther from my spot, but I could pretty much hear everything that Devon said from behind me.

After listening to Devon for an hour speaking on and on about a bunch of stuff like sports, the crazy life of the Falls cast, and even video games, I got incredibly bored. Slightly turning my head to peek at their table, in my view I saw Penelope looking about as bored as I was. She had her head resting on both of her arms on the table, seeming as if she was about to fall asleep while Devon droned on. It was then that I got inspired by a sudden idea. I took out my cell phone from one of my pockets and looked through the phone numbers in my contact list. Back at the hospital during the time when Grady, Ferguson, and I exchanged cell phone numbers before leaving for the night, Ferguson loaned me his phone for a couple minutes so that I could look at it and copy his number into my cell. After I had gotten his number, I checked through his contact list and managed to find Devon's number as well. His was the only other Falls member's phone number I saw in the list, and I decided to add Devon's number into my phone too.

So now, I decided to call Devon's cell phone to see what would happen. He'd probably be surprised that I even had his number. He might even leave the booth to take the call. I just needed something more exciting to happen, so I got his number to dial on my cell phone. I held my phone up to my ear silently waiting for Devon's phone to ring beside me. A few long seconds passed by and I noticed that Devon didn't make any movements to react to his phone ringing. In fact, it didn't ring at all and it just seemed like nothing new was happening at the couple's table. I was about to hang up on my lame prank until the dial tone ended when I got an answer.

"Hello?" came a voice on the other end of the call. I discreetly glanced over my shoulder to see Devon still chatting with Penelope. The person who answered me definitely wasn't Devon, and from what I could tell, it sounded like a girl's voice. What?

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><p><strong>AN: GASP. So what did you think? Please review with any thoughts, predictions, ideas…anything. :) Also, if I don't update beforehand…Happy New Year, guys! :D Peace out suckahs!<strong>

**- Cynthia**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hey there, how's it going? This is one of my quicker updates since it's only been about a week ago when I last updated, so that's pretty cool. :) The part towards the bottom is kind of a flashback to chapters one and two. Awesome, right? And, a little secret is that I'd written it a month ago and now it was finally the time to include it in the story. Sometimes I write things out of order and post them up later. :P Alright, enjoy and please review after you read!**

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><p><strong>Penelope's POV:<strong>

My date with Devon was going well so far, except that he was talking endlessly about stuff I didn't understand or care about. Maybe I should have dated someone else to get the fame and attention I was looking for. At the moment, I was just sitting back, indulging myself in the delicious steak while watching Devon get excited about pointless little things.

"Did you see the football game last week? It was sooo awesome! The best part was when the tight end caught the forward pass from the quarterback and ran towards the end zone, but then one of the defensive backs brought him down! That team is the best!" he exclaimed.

"Devon, honey, quiet down! You're starting to bother people around us!" I said in a hushed tone of voice, taking a quick glance at the tables around us. He looked apologetic for a moment and quieted himself.

"Hey, I just remembered. It was Chastity's birthday last time we saw her. You think we should get her something?" Devon asked.

"Nah, she's probably got enough to keep herself happy right now," I replied, as I shook my head. "I wonder how she is these days."

"I don't know; you and I haven't really talked much to her. But I remember that a long time ago when the Falls cast was packing up to leave the studios, she mentioned something about revenge. I wonder what that was all about," Devon said as he sipped his tall glass of lemonade.

"Pshh, Chastity's still probably mad at Chad for dumping her for that overly-perky Random," I scoffed. "Chastity always takes a long time to get over these things, whereas _I_ got over my breakup with Chad easily." I actually did. I guess I was just tougher than her, but I wasn't sure. I wasn't that close with Chastity to know that much about her. Chad first dated me for a while, then went on to Chastity, and finally to Sonny. "But… I'm glad I'm with you now, Dev!" I smiled.

"Me too, babe," he grinned back. Devon went back to eating his dinner. "Ugh, what's up with girls and their revenge?"

I just shrugged.

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><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

"Hello? Who am I speaking to?" asked the voice on the other end of the line. I could ask the same thing.

"Umm, you know who!" I said, using my voice in a whisper to avoid being heard by the couple sitting literally just several feet away from me. I decided to try and mess with whoever I was talking to. I couldn't speak too loudly or else Devon would probably hear me. I waited for a response. Apparently, I was in a mood for a bunch of pranks this evening. I guess it's what the spy outfit did to me.

"Oh…well, if this is Nico, I've been trying to reach you for a while now, but you're not picking up," said the voice. What? Nico? I was confused, but I thought fast and decided to go along with it.

"Y-yeah, this is Nico," I whisper-yelled into the phone just loud enough for the other person on the call to hear me.

"Really? 'Cause you sound different," said the voice. "Last time I heard, Nico's voice didn't sound like a ladies' voice."

"And last time I knew, Devon didn't have a ladies' voice either!" I countered playfully. I was laughing inside my head 'cause this was probably the _weirdest_ phone conversation I'd ever had. "Uh, and isn't this Devon's phone?" I asked, trying to see why Devon wasn't the one who answered.

"Yeah, it was…but he kinda lost it and now it's mine," said the voice.

"Okay…so who am I talking to, and how do you know Nico?" I asked sternly, becoming serious once again.

"It's none of your business, whoever _you_ are," said the person on the other end of the call.

"Yeah, it _is_ my business!" I said, almost yelling. "You know what-"

"_A-hem_," I heard from beside me as I felt someone tap my shoulder. I looked over to see Devon standing over me with his arms crossed. Penelope was making her way over as well. Oops, I think I blew my cover.

"Tawni? What are you doing here?" screeched Penelope. I glanced at her face, then at Devon's, and then at my cell phone. The random person I called had hung up, and now I had to deal with a couple of the Falls people. This was gonna be hard…

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><p><strong>Chastity's POV: <strong>

At last I met Ferguson at the airport in Arizona, and we were both presently at a diner as Ferg offered to drive to a nearby place to eat.

"So you never did tell me what happened with you and the fire," said Ferg.

"Alright," I sighed. "Here's what happened…"

_Flashback: (Chastity's POV)_

_Mackenzie Falls sadly got cancelled, and now Mr. Condor's studios weren't doing so well having the two shows with the highest ratings gone. All of us from the Falls were incredibly furious at Chad since it was mostly his fault that Mackenzie Falls ended. I'd been the first to suggest that he was the one to blame and then the rest of the cast agreed. They had already packed up their things from their dressing rooms except for me and Chad, so we were just about the only two cast members around at the studios. _

_I finished packing my stuff in my car, and then I went back to the studio buildings to look for Chad in order to yell at him one last time before I finally left. Much more importantly, Chad had also promised me a birthday gift for today and as usual, he was busy moping about at the stage where the Randoms used to hang out. I knew where to find him. So Random already ended way back when Sonny disappeared and the Randoms drifted apart. No one knew why Sonny had left for sure, but I had some sort of idea which I kind of kept to myself. _

_I was walking down the hallways of the abandoned place where the Randoms used to hang. Just as I was about to turn the corner of the hall to get to the Prop House, I stopped and stepped back to peek from behind the wall. The most shocking sight I'd ever seen in a while was just a few feet away from where I was standing. Sonny Munroe was back? I watched as she made her way into the entrance to the Prop House grinning widely. I even heard a voice that sounded like Chad's exclaiming something like, "SONNY? I can't believe you're back!" Oh, no way! This is just terrible!_

_I sprinted over to the Prop House entrance where Sonny had just stood and peeked in from behind a coat rack next to the entrance to see Chad and Sonny in each other's arms, wrapped up in a tight hug. Once I saw Sonny standing there in person for the very first time in a long time, I felt a burning sensation starting to build up in my chest. At that moment, the painful memories surrounding Sonny and myself took over, and then I did something completely reckless. I took out my lighter from my pocket, lit it, and quickly left it in a pocket of a coat that was hanging on a clothes rack right next to the spot I was standing at. For a couple of minutes, I watched as the small flames increasingly grew and started to catch other surrounding objects on fire in the huge room. I've played with fire before, so I knew how this would turn out. After seeing it happen for a bit, I quickly ran out of the building, went into my car, and drove away shaking in nervousness._

_End of Flashback…_

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><p><strong>AN: Gasp. By the way, the time in Arizona is just one hour more than in California if anyone's wondering. This chapter was a bit rushed, but I just wanted to get something posted up. Thanks for reading, and please review with your thoughts! :) Peace out!<strong>

**- Cynthia**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Hey guys, sorry for not updating in a long while. Here's the next chapter for all of you faithful readers. :) There are a bunch of references to the previous chapters, just to let you know. Hopefully, you haven't forgotten what's happened in the story so far. Thanks for all your reviews! **

**I want to give a shout-out to xoMarie for doing an excellent job at beta-reading this chapter for me. :)**

**Alright, enjoy it and please don't forget to review!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_I looked over to see Devon standing over me with his arms crossed. Penelope was making her way over as well. Oops, I think I blew my cover._

_"Tawni? What are you doing here?" screeched Penelope. I glanced at her face, then at Devon's, and then at my cell phone. The random person I called had hung up, and now I had to deal with a couple of the Falls people. This was gonna be hard…_

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><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

I hadn't planned for this to happen, and I should've made a backup plan for when Devon or Penelope managed to spot me. I scolded myself in the back of my mind and realized that I had to think fast. The two unwanted visitors stared at me with expectant eyes as mine switched back and forth between the Falls actors. To say the least, I was squirming uncomfortably under their piercing gazes.

"Hey, guys, so…how's it goin'?" I choked out whimsically. I managed to break the thick, sticky silence as I displayed a nervous grin, which I'm sure looked anything but normal. My fingers tapped unconsciously on the tabletop, making rhythmic clicks as the seconds passed by.

"Look, um, Random, what do you think you're doing here?" Devon's face held confusion mixed with annoyance and irritation all in a complete package. He seemed to have forgotten my name which kind of bothered me for a moment. I guess people didn't remember me that much anymore after the show ended. But then again, I might have been over thinking things.

"What? Can't a girl go to a popular restaurant on a date without getting questioned by everyone?" I shrugged, plainly lacking confidence. Penelope let out a few annoying giggles.

"Oh, _please_, Tawni, I think we all know that you'd _never_ be able to find someone for yourself," she sneered. That caused a small frown to fall upon my face. Ugh, it was just like Penelope to make fun of me during the first minute where we'd finally gotten to talk to each other after so many years. I just gave her a weak glare back, biting back my hateful comments. I felt a warm rush of blood flooding up to my head with anger towards my long-standing enemies that I've ever had in my life.

"So what are you _really_ here for?" Devon questioned, slightly leaning towards me with his hands pressing hard against the table. "Are you following us?" His stern demeanor gazed at me accusingly through his dark eyes while I began to stutter. Penelope started to sit down across from me which brought her into a closer position for me to claw her eyes out if I had an urge to. I had to fold my hands in my lap to contain my restlessness in being at a close proximity to a couple of Falls jerks.

"Hey, cool hat you've got there," Penelope said while briefly snatching it off of my head with one swift motion and sitting down. "Too bad it doesn't look good on you. You should never wear hats," she suggested, shaking her head and examining the wool fedora in her hands.

"Penelope, why don't you pick someone else to insult?" I complained as I sighed, putting my elbows up on the table and resting my chin on my hands.

"Don't think I forgot how much we hated each other back then," Penelope replied aloofly, twirling the hat around with one of her fingers as she shrugged. She continued to look away from my face, avoiding eye contact.

"So," started Devon, raising his dark eyebrows in the slightest motion. "You_ are_ following us, aren't you? What for? I hate it when you Randoms are up to something." He wagged his head in frustration and started pacing around next to the table that he was hovering over in the last few minutes.

"_S-so what_ if I followed you guys? I haven't done _anything_ wrong," I stammered while I shrugged my tense shoulders.

"Then tell us why you're here," Devon stopped his pacing for a brisk moment.

"Fine, I will," I asserted, getting annoyed. I couldn't stand it any longer; I decided to just get right to it. "I _am_ 'cause PENELOPE here decided to let the studios go up in flames to get revenge on Chad and Sonny!" I accused and slammed my hands on the table. Penelope's mouth instantly dropped open. Devon's head swiftly swung around to face his girlfriend.

"WHAT?" Penelope bellowed hoarsely. Most people in the whole restaurant paused to look our direction for a moment because of the interruption, looked dazed, and then turned back to their meals. "I didn't do that!" she yelled. My eyes followed Penelope in a hard stare as she sprung up from her seat in shock.

"Okay, what's going on?" Devon asked, obviously in a state of confusion. "Penelope?"

"Wait, why would you just assume it was me? I wasn't the one who did it! The news reports said that the police are still trying to find out who it is. It's only been a day since the fire happened. They haven't found out who it is yet! And I'm telling you, it's not me!" Penelope shouted at me frantically. She thrust my hat towards me in a fit of frustration. Luckily, I was able to reach up and catch it before it completely whacked my face. I put it back on top of my head.

Penelope's eyes dashed to look at my expression and then at Devon's. Devon stood still and looked like he was just trying to process what was happening at the moment. I was unconvinced with Penelope and also a bit confused. Didn't Ferguson tell me that Penelope was the one responsible for burning up the studio? After all, she was the one who had a plan to get rid of Sonny and take Chad for herself during the whole Sicky Vicky mix-up. And she even framed me during that time too! I still couldn't believe she'd done that. No one tried to frame Tawni Hart and was able to get away with it! All in all, it would make perfect sense for her to be the villain in this crazy world we were living in.

"Whatever trick you're playing, Tawni, I suggest you quit it," said Devon in a voice like steel and with penetrating eyes intimidating my own. I couldn't maintain my gaze at his eyes for a long amount of time, so I tore away from his uncomfortable stare. Devon just had something about him which made me sick to my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a couple of cops coming into the restaurant.

"No, no, no, no, but this doesn't make sense!" I mumbled aloud.

"What doesn't make sense?" questioned Devon, being ever so curious.

"Just everything!" I bursted. "I wish I could just wake up out of this never-ending nightmare."

"Agreed," muttered Penelope.

The police officers that I'd noticed before suddenly approached our table, and we all looked toward them in bewilderment.

"You two are coming with us," started one of the cops, looking at the confused couple. I was equally confused as well. "We got a report that you two were witnesses at that kidnapping that took place at a coffee shop late at night yesterday." What? They were? Why didn't I know that?

"We're gonna have to ask you a few questions," said the other officer.

"But we didn't do anything!" exclaimed Devon, glancing at Penelope.

"You're not in any kind of trouble as of yet," stated the first cop. "There's just an investigation that has to be done right away. We're gonna take you to the nearby police station and go from there."

I watched as Devon and Penelope followed the police officers while they were exiting the steakhouse. I decided to get up and head towards the door too.

"I hope this interrogating or whatever doesn't take too long," sighed Penelope.

"Relax, there's nothing to be guilty about," calmed Devon rationally. "Besides, we didn't do it."

"Okay, fine," said Penelope as they walked out into the evening air. I followed closely behind, and stood near the entrance of the building. I watched as the cops took the couple in a police car and slowly drove off in the direction of the station. I was left alone to think about what just happened.

So, it wasn't Penelope? It seemed like I had some other Falls actors to talk to after this. Poor Zora, what's going on with her? I felt a bit guilty. Maybe if I hadn't been so stubborn when she came over to see me that night, she wouldn't be in this situation. I sighed deeply and turned to walk in the direction of my car when I heard someone coming up behind me. Instinctively, I whirled around to see who it was and my heart instantly dropped in shock.

"Hello, Tawni. I've been waiting to see you for a while. I know that I'd said that I never wanted to come near the studios again, but I guess the events that have happened lately have changed my opinion. I thought she'd never come back. Now that she _has_ come back, well, I guess that we're all in a bigger mess than we'd been in before, don't you think?"

He reached for the hat on my head and placed it on his own with a familiar grin, looking like he'd always been ever since I could remember.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! What did you think? Please review with your thoughts, ideas, and predictions! By the way, I'm working on an Austin &amp; Ally one-shot that's going to be posted this week, so watch out for that. :) Peace out suckahs!<strong>

**- Cynthia **


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Hi there, I apologize for the huge delay in updating. Here's an extra long chapter for all of you. :) I felt that this was a pretty exciting chapter while I was writing it, so I hope you all enjoy it too. Please review after you read! :)**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_"Hello, Tawni. I've been waiting to see you for a while. I know that I'd said that I never wanted to come near the studios again, but I guess the events that have happened lately have changed my opinion. I thought she'd never come back. Now that she has come back, well, I guess that we're all in a bigger mess than we'd been in before, don't you think?"_

_He reached for the hat on my head and placed it on his own with a familiar grin, looking like he'd always been ever since I could remember._

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><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

I stepped back as if I'd just been scorched by the embers of a burning flame, an automatic reflex from the sudden shock, or even fear, from seeing his familiar face again. Something from within my mind told me right away that I wasn't in a safe place. His searching eyes peered deep into my face as mine did the same at his, probably from the fact that we hadn't seen other in an incredibly long amount of time. He looked very much the same, except that I could tell that his features held a hard, aloof new quality that I couldn't decode.

Was it anger, pride, jealousy?

A new aura surrounded him as he stood before me. For a few seconds, we both stood motionless in the deathly silence of the evening until Nico took a step towards me. I nearly jumped back in fright like someone who had just seen the vision of a ghost.

"Don't come any closer! I know what you did to Zora!" I screeched, my words echoing through the extensive shadows of the night as he confronted me at the front of the restaurant. My voice fluttered through the trees, past the heights of the buildings, and up into the open night sky. Upon hearing this, Nico froze in place; we were now several feet apart. He didn't speak, so I elaborated, starting carefully this time. "Grady told me he didn't write the note the police found when Zora got kidnapped, so that means that you did it, you disgusting, good-for-nothing creep!" my voice yelled directly toward him in a frenzy which was bordering insanity. My voice had risen up into a heated discord. I noticed that his face seemed to mask any reaction to what I'd just screamed; he kept himself calm and nearly emotionless like it didn't faze him at all. It almost frightened me. If I wasn't so angry, I would've run away and hidden somewhere far away from him.

"How can you be so sure that it was me?" he asked me, keeping his voice level and smooth with a false sense of innocence.

Seeing this, I frowned. "Oh don't act all innocent with me!" I asserted. Nico shrugged his shoulders, the edges of his jacket blowing in the slight breeze.

"So you trust Grady, now do you?" he questioned, folding his arms and waiting for my reply. Well, did I trust Grady?

"I trust no one!" I answered back to him abruptly. I heard Nico grunt after I said that.

"Shut up, Tawni! You're talking too loud and making a scene!" he snapped at me, looking around to see if we were causing a ruckus out here. There actually weren't many people around us at all. Was this place always this deserted?

"You can't tell me what to do!" I snapped back. My breathing felt heavier.

"Think of what the paparazzi would do if they spot us out here in the open, in public, and where anyone could find us!" Nico said, waving his arms around at the nearby buildings.

"So, back to the point. What are you doing here and where have you taken Zora?" I interrogated in a slightly softer tone. I decided to lay off of the shouting for a bit. I didn't forget what I'd been asking him before. Nico's shifty eyes darted around to check our surroundings once more before he began to unravel the tale of what had happened.

"Alright, so it was on that night when Chastity had just phoned me saying that she'd just set the studios on fire…"

I gasped. Chastity?

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><p><em>Flashback (Nico's POV):<em>

_I was sitting alone making myself an evening sandwich at the kitchen table in my apartment. I hated being alone for the past few years without having a girlfriend or any friend at all actually. I barely talked to any of the people I knew from Condor Studios anymore, but that all changed when I got one crazy phone call. I heard my cell start to ring on the kitchen counter. Curious to see who'd decided to randomly call me, I stood up from the table and shuffled over to my phone to check. I spotted the name of the caller and raised my eyebrows as I read the name to myself: Chastity. I let the vibrating rings hang in the air for several more seconds._

_I thought about it for a moment. Then I picked up the call._

"_Dude, she's come back." Her voice was stern and nervous all at the same time. I could feel it._

_Wait._

"_Who's come back?" I asked, not understanding who she was talking about instantly. I scoffed softly to myself. It was just like Chastity to not say something like a "hello" first and just get right to the point._

"_Sonny. Who else?" she shot back. _

_Oh no..._

_She'd better not be kidding me. I took a deep breath. But I was ready; I'd been ready for this for a long while now._

"_Alright, so what are we gonna do about it?" I asked. _

_It was pretty unbelievable that she was returning especially after what Chastity did way back before she'd left which caused her to leave in the first place. I think that the only people who knew why Sonny left were maybe just Chastity and me. And Ferguson._

"_Remember that plan that you and I made for when she came back?" she asked me._

"_Yup, of course I do." I replied, nodding my head even though she couldn't see me doing so. I leaned on the counter as I took a sip from a glass of water. "Man, it's hard to believe that she's actually back now, even after you-" _

_"Yeah, yeah. I know," Chastity groaned, sounding annoyed. "But I did help pay for the funeral though. What else did Sonny want me to do? There wasn't really anything more that I could've done. But anyways, let's move on with the plan. It's time for a lot of revenge. I've already got it started. The idea came to me spontaneously actually. I found Chad and Sonny at the studios earlier and started a fire over there."_

_Hearing this, I spit out a mouthful of water all over my kitchen._

"_Chastity, you've gone crazy!"_

_She chuckled lightly. "Well, that's me."_

_I decided not to think about the fire for long. "So where are you right now?" I questioned, wiping my mouth on a sleeve of my jacket._

"_I'm at my house right now. I'm just gathering some of my stuff before I drive on away from here. I can't stay around this place for a while 'cause someone might eventually find out that I was the fire starter here." _

_Made sense to me._

"_Yeah, that might be a good idea. So are you moving away?" It seemed like the logical thing to do._

"_Nope. But I've left a fake sign at the front of my house to let people think that I've sold it. It's sort of like a decoy."_

"_Pfft, very creative," I answered sarcastically._

"_Look, I'm running out of time here," she sighed._

_I started to walk over to my door. "I'm gonna get going on the first part of the plan. I think driving over to Tawni's house isn't gonna take that long from here." I checked the time on my wristwatch._

"_Oh, and one more thing I want you to know. I just called Grady and broke up with him," she said._

"_Right. I thought you'd be doing that sometime soon. I hope he's really upset. I still hate that jerk," I told her. I was locking the door to my apartment._

"_Okay, well, I've got to go now," she said, ending the call._

"_Alright, bye."_

_I took my old van and drove over to Tawni's house. She was really the only one who didn't keep the location of her house a secret after most of us stopped talking to each other. Once I parked, I got out and hid in the bushes right next to the side of her house near the porch. To my surprise, another car pulled up a few minutes later and it turned out that it was Zora's. I pulled my hat down over my eyes to hide myself a bit more. I hadn't seen her in a long time. She looked really different now. I quietly watched her walk up to the door and knock. Tawni answered and they went inside for a moment. _

_The fact that both of them were in the same place changed up my plan a little. _

_I sprinted over to Zora's car. The careless girl left her car windows down, so I took a look inside her car. I reached for a GPS which was the only thing worth stealing. When I took a closer look at it, I realized that it was an old one. I assumed that Zora was on her way to the hospital to visit Chad and Sonny, so I messed with the settings on the GPS. Then I started to go back over to Tawni's house to continue hiding in the bushes, but I heard the door opening. _

_I was standing right in the middle of the lawn in front of her house. _

_I quickly turned back to hide over in my old van and noticed that I dropped my hat, but it was too late to go back to pick it up or else they might have seen me. I hopped into my van and shut the door. I watched Zora get in her car and drive away. I followed her for about an hour until she exited the freeway and stopped at a coffee shop. I was glad that she'd finally stopped since I was sort of getting impatient. I parked towards the back of the parking lot, and I noticed that the parking lot was mostly empty except for a few cars. One of them was a really cool sports car. For a minute, I wondered who it belonged to and then I searched in the compartments of my old van. It was pretty dark and hard to see anything at all. I looked through a pile of crumpled papers and I pulled out what I thought was the ransom note I wrote for what I was about to do. I got out of the van and stuck the note on Zora's car. Then I hid behind my van in the shadows. _

_To my surprise, I watched Devon and Penelope get out of the coffee shop and get into the sports car. Close to that time, Zora came out of the shop holding a map and a coffee. I looked through all the random stuff in the back of my van and I quickly picked up a skateboard. When the time was right, I approached Zora and knocked her out. Then I brought her into the back of the van and drove off. I noticed through my mirrors that Devon and Penelope saw what had gone on and that they were following me in their car. _

_I drove faster. Then after a few minutes, I lost them. I drove over to Chastity's house. I looked through the window of my van, and I saw that the place seemed like it was pretty much abandoned and that no one lived there. I also noticed that there was a sign at the front of her house that read, "Sold". It was just like she said._

_End of Flashback_

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><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

"You're coming with me," Nico announced, taking my arm and pulling me with him. I tried to free my arm from his grasp.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?" I snapped, still trying to get away.

"I'm bringing you to Chastity's house where you'll be joining Zora," he stated in an expressionless voice.

* * *

><p><strong>Devon's POV:<strong>

The officers drove me and Penelope to the police station which was a couple blocks down the road. Once the car stopped, we got out and walked into the building. I'd never really been here before although I remembered that Penelope had previously been arrested, back when she had some weird plan to get rid of Sonny when she visited her old school back in Wisconsin. Sometimes I felt like I had no idea what an insane girlfriend I had.

We were brought to a small office room with a desk off to the side with a few chairs around it, and some messy bookcases lined the walls. The officers directed us to take our seats and to give them our I.D.'s. I sat down vigilantly while Penelope carelessly threw herself onto one of the uncomfortable chairs and slouched. One of the policemen flipped through a few pages in a notebook. Then he looked up from the book and stared at our eyes.

"So, where were you two on the night of the kidnapping of former _So Random_ actress, Zora Lancaster?" he asked us. I looked over at Penelope, who was sitting beside me, and realized that I was gonna have to do most of the talking. She didn't even want to be here in the first place. I decided to simply answer the cops' questions in a quick manner so that we could leave as soon as possible.

"Well sir, Penelope and I were seated in the coffee shop on the site where the kidnapping took place," I replied curtly. My girlfriend solely muttered in agreement. Then I continued. "And that's when we saw Zora walk into the same coffee shop." The officer took some time to jot down a few notes.

"Then what did Zora do?" queried the second cop.

"Hmm, I think that she ordered something at the counter, but I don't remember what," I contemplated briefly, turning to Penelope. "You remember what?" I asked her.

_"Uh, does that really even matter?" _groaned Penelope, shrugging her shoulders_._

"Well, I guess not," I mumbled. "Though I remember that she asked for a map of directions to get to L.A.," I told the cop who was taking notes.

"So she had plans to go to L.A., huh? Interesting," the other cop mused.

"But who still uses maps these days? I mean, that's what GPS's and cell phones are for," Penelope complained. I sighed. The first cop moved onto the next question.

"What happened after that?" he interrogated.

"It was at that moment when I took Penelope to the parking lot, and we got into my car. Not too long afterwards, we saw Zora walk out of the shop and make her way towards her own car. We parked fairly close to each other and so we were able to see her even in the dark," I discussed. "I even noticed some piece of paper stuck on her windshield like how it is when people stick advertisements under the wipers."

"Oh, I know what you're talking about. Those things are annoying, like, most of the time you don't even want any of the junk the people are trying to sell," stated Penelope.

"Mmhmm..," I mumbled, looking at her.

"Right...Well, do any of you know what the piece of paper was about?" inquired an officer. I glanced at Penelope who shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. I myself didn't have much of an idea either.

"No sir, we do not know what the paper was there for," I responded. Come to think of it, what was that all about?

"Yeah, I didn't actually think about it that much at the time," Penelope added. "All I really focused on was the fact that I saw a strange dude wearing a hoodie, knocking the girl out with a skateboard, and quickly driving away. It all happened so fast right after she got to her car," she explained. I just looked at the officers and nodded in agreement. I was glad that Penelope finally supplemented the conversation with some important evidence instead of making me do all the talking.

"Okay, now that's some vital information," remarked the officer taking notes. "What went on after that?"

"Oh yeah, that's when Devon went berserk and sped off to follow the kidnapper's van on the freeway and almost got us killed with his _excellent_ driving," Penelope said, staring at me in a bit of anger. I took a deep breath.

"I did that in order to try and find out who it was! What would _you_ have done?" I defended myself.

"Um, I would've just called the police, like a regular person with a brain would do," Penelope retorted. I couldn't believe this.

"But that's what I tried to get you to do! You just had to throw my brand new cell phone out of my car, didn't you? Why'd you do that? It was brand new, Penelope. BRAND. NEW."

"Don't yell at me!" shrieked Penelope.

"Whoa! Okay, you two, stop the yelling!" One of the cops raised his voice. We both ended our small feud immediately. "Now, tell me, did you succeed in your little pursuit on the road?"

"Nope," Penelope responded concisely.

"No sir, we uh, ended up in a near collision when I was driving in the wrong direction," I replied shamefully.

"A near collision, you say?" echoed the second cop.

"Yes sir, there was a brisk moment of trying to avoid a car accident and then my car ended up on the side of the freeway with another car which had almost collided with mine. It was alright though; we were unscathed," I elaborated.

"Must've been a real rough time," commented the same cop incredulously.

Penelope sighed rather loudly. "It sure was," she said. "And, get this...Turns out that the person in the car that we almost crashed into was one of our old cast mates, Chastity."

"Interesting," commented the cop as he took down some notes.

"I know. What are the odds?" I added.

"Huge coincidence," said Penelope. "So then we talked for a while and she mentioned something about moving away from L.A. After a little bit, we parted and went our separate ways. We never found out who the kidnapper was."

"Alright," said one of the cops. He opened a folder from the desk and brought something out. "This here's a photocopy of the piece of paper found on Zora's car. Why don't you two have a look at it?" I held the note while Penelope and I looked over the paper with the messy handwriting.

_Dear Sonny,_

_I thought you were my friend, but I was wrong. I trusted you completely. You and I used to be best friends and so was the rest of the cast. I can't believe that it's all come to this mess. I used to know you so well. I even liked you as more than a friend, but you didn't return those feelings because Chad came along. You didn't stay long enough to explain why you've decided to abandon us. You've left me asking why for all of these years. Why did you have to leave? Why couldn't you tell us?_

_You know what, forget it. Just forget it. It seems that we don't matter much to you, Sonny. And now, we're trying to forget all about you. I'm trying to erase any thoughts and memories about you. It hurts to remember you, Sonny. You don't know how you've affected all of us. And you probably don't want to know. You hurt me more than you could ever know, and I want to stop calling you by your name because it just stings when I hear it aloud. Everything has changed since you've walked out of our lives. You've turned me into a completely different person, and I hate that it had to happen. It's all your fault. You're the only one to blame._

_I just need to say this to you…I never want to see you again. What you did was unforgivable. I can never forgive you even if you begged me to. I just can't. So please…Never come back. It'll be better for everyone if you didn't come back. I DON'T need you, Sonny. I DON'T want you. I DON'T miss you. I DON'T want to wait for you. It's too late. It's way too late for you to fix things. So, let's just have it like this…I don't forgive you, and you don't forgive me for what I'm about to do. Bye, Sonny. Forever, I hope._

_Signed,_

…

"Kay, so it's definitely either Nico or Grady," mentioned Penelope. She thought about it some more. "I'd say it's Nico."

"It's hard to say, but at least we've got it narrowed down to two possible people," I replied. The cop continued writing in his notebook.

"I'm sure you've both probably heard the news about the studio fire as well," commented the cop as we nodded. "It happened on the same night at around the same time as the kidnapping, so we have reasons to believe that the two events were related since they both involved the former cast members of the same studios. The individual who started the fire rapidly fled the scene, but now, thanks to both of you, I think we have a better idea of the person's identity." The cops gazed at us for a moment. I gasped in realization and turned to my girlfriend.

"We just talked to the suspect last night without even knowing it."

* * *

><p><strong>Ferguson's POV:<strong>

I was sitting at a diner with Chastity after we both met up in Arizona. It was only yesterday when the whole fire deal went down, so we had a few things to discuss as we ate.

"So did you get Sonny's address from Grady like I wanted you to?" inquired Chastity as she forked a mouthful of her pasta.

I nodded my head. "_Well yeah, how else would I have known to go to Phoenix?_"

"There's no need for the sarcasm, Ferg," sighed Chastity.

"I see that _somebody's_ in a bad mood," I pointed out, taking a sip of soda.

Chastity put her fork down. "I'm _not_ in a bad mood. I'm just nervous. Just feeling the effects of guilt. Imagine if you were me right now!" she vented.

"Keep your voice down. You probably don't want everyone hearing you, right?" I said in a calmer tone than hers at the moment. She wasn't exactly shouting, but I was aware that she was being loud enough for the rest of the diner to hear. It wasn't that big of a place, and we were trying not to let the other people overhear our conversation for obvious reasons.

"Yeah, I know, don't tell me that, Ferg!" she snapped. I groaned.

"Chastity, quit calling me 'Ferg', alright?" I asked, feeling irritated. I didn't know if Chastity's mood was just spreading over to me or something, but I'd been starting to feel uneasy the past few hours too.

She scoffed. "I could call you anything I want to!"

"You seriously need to chill," I told her firmly.

"You think I haven't realized that yet? I'm trying to, but I can't!" she moaned. A waitress came over to our table.

"Is everything alright for you guys? Would you like some more soda?" she asked me as she took my empty plate from the table.

"Uh, yeah, that would be great," I answered as she poured some more soda from a pitcher.

"You're welcome," the waitress replied kindly when she was done. "So, how long have you two been together?" she asked Chastity and me. I glanced at Chastity for a moment.

"Oh, us?" I started. "No, we're not dating; we're just friends," I chuckled. It was always funny whenever people thought that two people were dating when they were really only friends.

"Oh," mumbled the waitress. "You two would look great together," she said as she left to attend to the other tables. I drank some more soda.

"Well, that was random," Chastity said. She slid her plate of pasta away from herself. "I really don't feel like eating anymore."

"Suit yourself," I mumbled. I just wished that I didn't have to pay for food that she wasn't even gonna eat.

"So tell me about what went on earlier today," she said, her elbows propped on top of the table. She slouched and rested her chin on her fists.

"Alright, so back when you wanted me to go to the hospital, you texted me and then I went. I was there to put the blame on Penelope for starting the fire like you'd said to do, and I also was there to spy on what was going on with them," I told her. "I found out from Nico that Grady was the only one who knew the address of the place where Sonny was staying at over here in Arizona. I texted Grady, telling him to give me the address so that I could give it to you. As expected, he didn't want to."

"Of course he didn't want to," Chastity added.

"Yeah, so I told him that I knew where you were going and that he could possibly have a chance at getting back together with you if he did what I told him to do. And what I told him to do was to help with our plan to get revenge on all the Randoms and other Mack Falls actors. It was a hard decision, but he decided to agree. He texted me Sonny's Arizona address. Then I told him to meet me at the hospital to help me spy on Chad and Sonny. He reluctantly agreed since it would give him a chance to see Sonny again after so long," I continued.

"That's a pretty good idea, Ferg," Chastity commented, impressed with my plan.

"Well, thanks," I replied with a small grin. "It was nothing really. I'd only thought of it at the last minute during that time," I said. "But I didn't mention that I was also working with Nico. I remembered that those two still hated each other and that it wasn't a good idea to mention him to Grady."

"Oh yeah, that's a good point. Glad you remembered that," Chastity responded. "We shouldn't tell each of them that the other is also part of our little group that's involved with my plan."

"Yup, that's a great idea," I agreed. "So, back to what I was telling you, Grady and I planned to meet at the hospital. He got there before I did. When I actually got to Sonny's hospital room, Grady was there along with Chad and Tawni."

"Ugh, Tawni," groaned Chastity.

"Once Grady and I were both there, we put up an act and did a bunch of pretending and lying as part of our plan. Well, some of it was true though. I think I might have actually hurt his feelings for part of it, but I don't know. Oh, and another thing, one of the things I made up was that you and me were dating each other and that you broke up with Grady to be with me," I added.

"Wait, what?" Chastity asked, amused. "Are you serious? What if Chad and everyone actually thinks that you and me are dating?"

I laughed a bit. "Relax, it's probably not gonna really matter that I made that up. I haven't mentioned that it wasn't true to Grady yet though. I haven't mentioned anything to him about where you and I are at the moment either. He might think of the fact that we might be in Arizona right now since I got the address from him, but oh well."

"We've got a bunch of other things to worry about anyways," sighed Chastity.

"Uh-huh. So then afterwards, Grady decided to go back to his house and Tawni mentioned that she was gonna go somewhere to get dinner. I could tell that Tawni got really upset when I mentioned that it was Devon and Penelope's anniversary and that she still hates all the Falls people except for maybe Chad. I figured out that she would go over to the restaurant that Devon and Penelope were eating their special anniversary dinner at and probably ruin it. That girl is very predictable," I said. "And that's basically all that went on up until right now," I told Chastity, concluding my rather long account of what had happened earlier.

"Kay then, I guess we're ready to leave this diner and continue with the plan," replied Chastity as I asked for the check and we got up to leave.

* * *

><p><strong>Tawni's POV:<strong>

The drive to Chastity's house was silent, not to mention awkward. Nico didn't tie my hands up or anything, but he just told me to get in the van. I was sitting beside him in the passenger's seat at the front while he quietly drove on. I didn't know what to do or say, so I just kept quiet. The drive lasted for about fifteen minutes long until he pulled to an abrupt halt at the end of a driveway and stopped the engine.

"Let's go," he said sternly, keeping my arm in a tight grip in his hand while he dragged me over to a house that was just surrounded with darkness. There weren't any lights on at all around the outside of the house or even inside, as far as I could tell, as Nico stomped over to the door with myself stumbling as I followed. He paused in front of the door while he reached inside his jacket's pockets, pulling out a key not long afterwards. I winced, letting out a few whimpers from the pain.

He was gripping my arm so tightly that I felt it go numb.

The door unlocked with a sharp click and a turn of the knob. Then he kicked the door open so hard that the thump was loud enough to wake the dead. Before I had a chance to recover from the clamor that it caused in my ears, Nico threw me into the house with a hard shove. I fought to keep my balance, but I tripped and crashed onto the cold floor. I choked as I tried to catch my breath.

"Stay here 'til I get back," he ordered roughly. "_You're not going anywhere_."

With those last words, he abandoned me. The door crashed closed again, making me jolt. I got up from the floor, and I tried to find the way to the door. The house was pitch dark inside; I couldn't see a thing. When I felt the doorknob on my fingertips, I attempted to turn it.

It was locked.

When I felt along the sides of the doorway, I realized that there weren't locks of any sort on the inside of the door. It was a strange door; it was probably only able to be opened from the outside. I couldn't even find a light switch. Then I felt through all the pockets that I had and realized something.

My phone was missing. He must've stolen it when I hadn't noticed. I groaned. I could hear the sound of the rushing wind outside.

"Why'd this have to happen to me? I don't think I'll get out of here anytime soon," I sighed, getting dizzy from the darkness around me. Just then, I became aware of a sound that was starting to echo inside of the house. It was sort of a rumbling sound that was quiet but loud enough to notice. From what I could sense, it seemed like it was coming from the ceiling. In the next moment, I became instantly nervous. The sound could've been anything. I didn't know what to expect.

"What's making that noise?" I whimpered as I started to shiver in nervousness. The rumbling above me got louder, closer as I could feel it approaching me. It continued for a few long seconds as I held my breath. The rumbling from the ceiling was getting nearer. I still couldn't see a thing in the dark. The rumbling was now louder than it had ever been before.

It suddenly stopped.

My heart pounded heavily against my chest.

Then I heard the painful sound of grating metal from the ceiling right above my head as I prepared to faint. Before I passed out, I feebly heard a voice above my head.

"I found a way out of here through the vents..."

* * *

><p><em>Back at the hospital...<em>

**Sonny's POV:**

I opened my eyes to find myself in, well, a hospital room.

So...what was I doing here?

I reached for the top of my head and felt some bandages there. Okay, so I probably got hurt somehow. I turned my head slightly, which was resting on a pillow, and glanced at a window to my left. It was dark outside, so I assumed it was nighttime. I remembered being with Chad at the Prop House. That was the last thing I remembered. Where was he?

I listened to some constant beeping noises from the machines beside myself. Then I heard the door creak, so my eyes darted in its direction. I expected to see a doctor of some sort or even Chad, but the visitor was neither of the two. Huh, I haven't seen _him_ in a really long time.

"Hey, Sonny," Nico began as he tipped his hat. "So I just wanted to say that-Ughhh!"

I watched as Grady came up from behind him and tackled him to the floor.

Okay...What was going on?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: GASP. Please send me a review to tell me your thoughts, ideas, and predictions! I hope you all liked it! I'm working on updating my other stories too, and I'll try not to take too long to update this one next time. Peace out for now! :)<strong>

**- Cynthia**


	18. Important Author's Note

A/N: Hi everyone, this is gonna be hard to say but after thinking about it for a few months now, I've finally come to a decision. I'm going to quit writing fanfiction since I believe that it's time for me to move on. I don't think a lot of you are gonna continue reading this long author's note 'cause it's rather long, but if you're interested then you can keep reading, I suppose.

I haven't written in a long time and when I start to write, I've found it difficult to do so. I'm sorry that I will be leaving quite a few of my stories unresolved, but I hope you've enjoyed them so far. I do have a bunch of unfinished little pieces of chapters that I've kept for months, but they're probably never going to get posted since they aren't that close to being done. I thought of quickly rushing an ending to some of my stories, but then I thought that it wouldn't be fair and thought that it would be better just to leave them the way they are right now. So I guess I'm the only person who knows what was meant to happen next in my stories. I don't think I'll delete any of my unfinished drafts though 'cause there's really no point in doing that.

I haven't been reading fanfics as much as I used to either. I noticed during the last few times that I posted chapters, that not a lot of people are writing stories for SWAC that much anymore. I remember seeing my story stay in the same spot in the SWAC archive for days since no one else was posting any more after it. Whereas when I'd posted a story in the Austin & Ally archive, I remember seeing it moved over to the third page of chapter updates just after several hours since so many people were writing A&A stories. It's all a bit sad that there aren't as many SWAC stories as there were several years ago. Lately, I haven't even been watching that much tv as well and I've been behind on watching episodes. Another hard fact is that most of all the shows I've ever liked have ended now. At first, it was SWAC like four years ago. Then the others ended too like JONAS L.A., Suite Life on Deck, Wizards of Waverly Place, more recently Shake it Up, and finally Good Luck Charlie whose hour-long series finale is in a few days. And then just this past October, the Jonas Brothers decided to break up as a band. It's as if it's all a sign that it's time for me to move on, and I suppose it is. I knew I'd have to leave writing fanfiction someday, and I didn't want to leave you all wondering if I was ever going to post a new chapter update sometime so I decided it was better to let you know instead.

Even though I don't really watch SWAC much at all anymore, I'll always remember it as my favorite show growing up. I am grateful to everyone who has ever read any of my stories and especially to those who took some time to review any of them. Thank you all so much. I hope all of you understand.

Sincerely,

Cynthia


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